At least 17 earthquakes have been recorded in the past 24 hours near Area 51 in Nevada, causing concern and fueling theories of possible underground weapons testing.
According to information from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the largest recorded earthquake had a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter scale and a very small depth of only 4 kilometers.
As the Daily Mail reports, seismic tremors were observed in an area not known for frequent seismic activity. “An unusual place for an earthquake to occur”, the reports said.
Geophysicist Stefan Burns described the area as “an unusual place for an earthquake to occur”, emphasizing that historically this area has shown low seismic activity compared to other regions.
He also explained that earthquakes and underground explosions can sometimes create similar seismic characteristics, especially when energy is suddenly released below the surface. According to him, the shallow depth of the strongest earthquake, about four kilometers underground, was an important element to note.
However, he emphasized that the most likely scenario is that it is natural seismic activity. Despite this, he added that there is “some uncertainty” in the data, which makes the phenomenon “debatable” regarding the possibility of a secret underground nuclear test.
At the same time, he underlined that, most likely, it is a natural earthquake. However, he admitted there was “some doubt” in the seismic data and said the unusual characteristics make the event “worth discussing whether it could be a secret underground nuclear test”.
The last earthquake in the area was recorded at 12:43 pm on Thursday. More than 100 people have reported to the USGS that they felt tremors in the area. However, mostly military personnel, contractors and civilian employees live in this region.
