Thursday's non-quake highlighted the need for better earthquake-warning tools. Three western states have a system in place, but Nevada isn't included.

In general, earthquakes are caused by the tectonic plates that make up the earth moving and rubbing together. The UK is situated within the Eurasian plate, more than 1,600km away from the nearest plate boundary, which is why it does not experience earthquakes as big as other parts of the world.

“On December 4, 2025, the ShakeAlert EEW system released an incorrect alert for a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Reno and Carson City, Nevada,” the statement read. “The event did not occur, and has been deleted from USGS websites and data feeds. The USGS is working to understand the cause of the false alert.”

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mexico, centered about 50 miles south-southwest of La Esperanza.

Residents in Nevada woke up to a shocking 5.9 magnitude earthquake alert, but after the panic settled, the whole thing turned out to be a fake quake alert sent by USGS.

SAN BENITO COUNTY, CA - Friday morning, a preliminary 2.0 magnitude quake was detected close to Pinnacles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 shook Nevada on Thursday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. Phones buzzed as far away as San Francisco, though no shaking was evident in much of the Bay Area.