False Alarm: USGS Alert Warns Of Earthquake From 1925

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — People across Southern California were shaken after the United States Geological Survey sent out an alert about a magnitude 6.8 earthquake.

Except that earthquake happened in 1925. Or 2025 according to the alert.

An email sent out described the quake happening on June 29, 2025, about 9 miles from Isla Vista. Aside from the fact it's still the year 2017, the other problem was it wasn't referring to a current earthquake.

Instead, it's about the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake that killed 13 people and causing more than $8 million in damage. It also caused the failure of the Sheffield Dam, built just 6 years earlier.

An automated tweet from the Los Angeles Times also warned of the quake. That alert is wired to help alert the public quickly if an earthquake actually strikes.

According to the Los Angeles Times, someone tried to correct the exact location of the earthquake in the system, leading to the alert.