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An earthquake and 15 aftershocks have struck a remote stretch of southern Nevada near the highly restricted Area 51 military installation, United States Geological Survey (USGS) research geologist Christopher DuRoss told Newsweek.
The earthquakes, plotted on a USGS interactive map, appear concentrated across southern Nevada, with the first quake striking on Wednesday morning, followed by more than a dozen, weaker tremors occurring roughly 28 miles east of the classified test site northwest of Las Vegas.
Nevada is among the most seismically active states in the country, crisscrossed by faults linked to the Basin and Range geological province, where the Earth’s crust is slowly stretching and breaking apart. Earthquakes are relatively common in the region and are typically driven by natural stress changes underground, according to seismologists. Still, the proximity of some recent tremors to Area 51, long shrouded in secrecy and public fascination, has once again prompted questions online—despite the lack of evidence that the classified military site or any human activity is connected to the earthquakes.
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The tremors were confirmed to be earthquakes, DuRoss told Newsweek, as were the aftershocks, which occurred at a depth consistent with earthquakes.
Earthquake Strikes Near Alamo, Nevada: What We Know
The first quake, a magnitude 4.4, struck on Wednesday morning at a depth of around 4 kilometers, DuRoss said. The aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 1.5 to 3.7, struck at a similar depth. As of around 5 p.m. ET, DuRoss said 15 aftershocks have occurred.
For the first quake, 111 people submitted reports to the USGS confirming they felt it.
No reports of damage were made, but the quake was consistent with "weak shaking," DuRoss said.
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What Caused the Earthquakes?
Earthquakes occur along faults, and in this part of Nevada, DuRoss said the ground is "slowly stretching apart."
"This is consistent with our expectations of the region, our knowledge of faults, where faults occur, and recent seismicity," he said. "This area is slowly stretching apart, and it's been happening for millions of years. This is just a part of that process."
DuRoss said the earthquakes would not be considered a swarm. An earthquake swarm is a cluster of earthquakes that occur in the same area over a relatively short period of time without a single dominant “main” quake, according to the USGS. Since a main quake, the 4.4 magnitude quake, occurred in this instance, it would not be considered a swarm.
When Does an Earthquake Cause Damage?
Damage from earthquakes does not begin at a single, fixed magnitude, but ground damage and structural impacts typically become more likely once a quake reaches a magnitude of 4 or 5, according to the USGS. Below that level, earthquakes are often felt but rarely cause damage.
The USGS stresses that damage depends on more than magnitude, including distance from the quake, depth, local ground conditions, and building construction. A magnitude 4.8 in a remote desert may cause no damage at all, while a similar quake beneath a city can break windows or damage structures.
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Will More Earthquakes Occur Near Area 51?
There is a chance that aftershocks will continue to rattle the area for "days to months" following the main earthquake, DuRoss said, although the rate at which they occur decreases over time.
According to the USGS aftershock forecast, there's a 54 percent chance of a magnitude 3 or greater earthquake occurring in this same area through May 7, a 10 percent chance of a magnitude 4 aftershock, and a 1 percent chance of a magnitude 5 or greater.
What Is Area 51?
Area 51 is a highly classified U.S. Air Force facility located at Groom Lake in southern Nevada. Long used for testing experimental aircraft and military technology, the base’s operations were secret for decades and were officially acknowledged by the U.S. government only in 2013, a history that has helped fuel enduring public fascination.
The intense secrecy surrounding Area 51, combined with past test flights that were frequently mistaken for unidentified flying objects, has made the site a centerpiece of UFO lore and conspiracy theories. While its confirmed role is limited to defense and aviation testing, its remote location and restricted airspace continue to make it one of the most intriguing and closely watched places in the American desert.
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