A series of mysterious earthquakes were reported near one of America's most secretive bases used for nuclear testing. In the last few days, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has detected 16 moderate tremors, all stronger than 2.5 in magnitude, in the vicinity of Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, better known as 'Area 52.' It should be noted that both Area 52 and its more famous neighbor, Area 51, sit on a massive complex just north of Las Vegas called the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR).
US military carried out experimental aircraft testing in this remote area
It has been for decades believed that the US military has carried out experimental aircraft testing as well as nuclear weapons research in this remote area. And now the scientists have monitored over 100 seismic events within 50 miles of the Tonopah Test Range in just the last week.
These earthquakes are in the range of very small shockwaves between 1.0 and 1.9 in magnitude to minor earthquakes stronger than 3.0, which could be felt by anyone at ground level nearby.
Earthquake swarms near nuclear site comes during onclifct with Iran
The outbreak of earthquake swarms near the nuclear testing site has come at a time when the US launches a massive bombing campaign against Iran, and President Donald Trump has warned that the 'biggest wave' hasn't even happened yet.
Apart from this, the final remaining nuclear weapons treaty between the US and Russia expired earlier in February, just weeks before USGS started picking up this concentrated swarm underground.
The strongest of these recent earthquakes took place on Sunday at 11.37am ET when a magnitude 4.3 shockwave rattled a remote point of the Nevada desert roughly 48 miles northeast of Tonopah.
The earthquakes between magnitude 2.5 and 4.9 typically cause considerable shaking that can be felt by residents for several miles, but no severe damage to buildings or property. No injuries have been reported. The earthquakes were reported by Nevada residents as far away as Carson City, over 180 miles to the west, and Las Vegas, 175 miles south of Sunday's earthquake.
However, there has been no announcement from the US government that full-scale nuclear explosive testing has resumed, meaning the earthquakes may be a prolonged stretch of normal geological activity in the region.
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