Large Nevada earthquake did not happen at Area 51

Posted: May 15, 2020 / 12:23 PM PDT / Updated: May 18, 2020 / 06:47 AM PDT

Damage to US 95 approximately 130 miles from Area 51.

MYSTERY WIRE — The ground shook in west-central Nevada on the morning of May 15, 2020 because of a large 6.5 magnitude earthquake at 4:03 a.m. Pacific standard time.

The epicenter is located approximately 130 miles from Area 51. There are some messages being posted on social media that the earthquake happened at the secretive Air Force base, which it did not.

The closest populated town to the epicenter is Tonopah, NV which is 35 miles away. Tonopah has an approximate population of 2,500.

The Tonopah Test Range base is approximately 65 miles from the epicenter.

The town closest to Area 51, Rachel, NV has a population of 46. It is home to the famous Little A’Le’Inn and was the location for last year’s “Storm Area 51” event. A person wanting to stay anonymous in Rachel, said she did feel the earthquake this morning, probably for at least 20 – 30 seconds and described it as a rolling motion.

Seismic activity is measured several different ways. The traditional way is by using an analog seismograph. The newer technology is the helicorder. A helicorder is a digital seismograph. The helicorder activity for Rachel shows the earthquake quite clearly on the readout. This data is from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) web site.

IRIS also provides an audio file which is created from using the earthquake’s frequency recording to make sounds. You can listen to the sound of this morning’s quake from the Rachel, NV station here and below.

Artificial audio of May 15, 2020 6.5 magnitude earthquake from Rachel, NV station.