Area 51 experienced at least 17 earthquakes in a single day this week, with stumped experts admitting the behavior is highly “unusual.”
The secretive Nevada Air Force base, long associated with reports of UFOs, was hit by comparatively shallow quakes, prompting conspiracy theories about nuclear testing.
The cluster of earthquakes ranged in magnitude from 2.5 to 4.4 and struck near the base, which is about 80 miles from Las Vegas, according to US Geological Survey (USGS) data.
The first, most powerful quake, struck 2.5 miles below ground just after 3 p.m. Wednesday local time, followed by more than a dozen smaller tremors.
Geophysicist Stefan Burns claimed the activity was in “an unusual place to get an earthquake,” and highlighted how shallow it was in a video on X.
He added that the unusual characteristics made it “worth discussing in the context of ‘if this is a covert underground nuclear test.’”
The news comes as President Trump teased that the Pentagon is preparing to release “very interesting” UFO files uncovered by the administration.
“We’re going to be releasing a lot of things that we haven’t,” the president said Wednesday at a White House event surrounded by NASA astronauts.
“I think some of it’s going to be very interesting to people,” he added.
Last month, Trump further talked the UFO info release as he spoke to supporters at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix.
“The first releases will begin very, very soon. So you can go out and see if that phenomenon is correct. You’ll figure it out,” he said.
