Erroneous earthquake warning triggers alerts across California

An erroneous earthquake alert was issued across parts of California when the ShakeAlert early warning system activated for an event that did not occur, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS said the alert was triggered at 8:06 a.m. Pacific Time for what the system mistakenly identified as a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Reno and Carson City, Nevada. The USGS said the non-existent event was removed from its websites and data feeds after confirming no earthquake had taken place.

In a message posted on the website, the USGS said it is working with its partners to determine why the warning was broadcast to a large portion of California, including the Bay Area, the Eastern Sierra, and parts of south-central regions. Officials did not provide additional details about the cause of the false activation.

Some users who received the alert reported taking precautionary steps. “I appreciated the alert as I was cooking so I turned off my stove and waited a couple minutes,” one person commented on the USGS account. “When nothing happened I was relieved. I’m glad there was no earthquake.”

The USGS said additional information will be released once the review is complete.