San Francisco, CA – A false ShakeAlert earthquake warning briefly startled residents across California and Nevada early Thursday morning after the system mistakenly reported a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Reno and Carson City, Nevada, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The alert was triggered around 8:06 a.m. PT on December 4, 2025, prompting warnings across the Bay Area, the Eastern Sierra, and South-Central California. However, USGS later confirmed no earthquake occurred and said the erroneous alert has been deleted from all official data feeds.
In a statement, the agency said it and its partners are investigating the cause of the false activation. ShakeAlert, designed to provide seconds of warning before shaking from significant earthquakes, occasionally triggers falsely when test data or signal errors occur.
No damage, injuries, or verified seismic activity were reported in the affected areas. Officials emphasized that the system remains operational and continues to be refined for accuracy.
Residents are encouraged to keep ShakeAlert active on their devices and follow updates from USGS Earthquake Alerts for verified seismic information.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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