New Delhi, Dec. 4 -- The US Geological Survey (USGS) issued - and then quickly withdrew - an erroneous alert on Thursday morning that claimed a magnitude 5.9 earthquake had struck near Nevada. The false alert, which went out just after 8 a.m., caused widespread confusion as residents scrambled to confirm whether any shaking had actually occurred.

According to the initial USGS notification, a strong quake had hit east of Dayton around 8:00 a.m. Almost immediately, phones across western Nevada lit up with emergency alerts, prompting people to check with neighbors, workplaces and social media for confirmation.

But one thing became clear within minutes: no one felt a thing.

Residents reported zero shaking, despite the alert. Shortly afterw...