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Underground nuclear explosions can trigger nearby earthquakes and aftershock sequences, but the evidence cited here does not establish that such sequences generally—or in a documented case—last for years. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report describes activity in the Pahute Mesa area across an eight-month observation window in 1975–76. That record shows a real, local sequence, not proof of multi-year persistence.
How can an explosion trigger later earthquakes?
The explosion itself produces a seismic signal. Later earthquakes are separate events: an explosion may disturb stress on existing faults and trigger movement that continues as smaller earthquakes. The USGS puts the distinction plainly: “A nuclear explosion can cause an earthquake and even an aftershock sequence.” It also cautions that not all explosions have caused earthquakes, and that induced earthquakes are much smaller than the explosion. USGS: Can nuclear explosions cause earthquakes?
One proposed explanation is that changes in fluid pressure within existing fractures affect when triggered aftershocks occur. Healy, Hamilton, and Raleigh described observed spatial patterns as compatible with that hypothesis; it should not be treated as a settled explanation for every test or sequence. Healy, Hamilton, and Raleigh, 1970
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What the Pahute Mesa record shows
A 1977 USGS report counted 1,075 earthquakes of local magnitude 2.5–4.9 in the Pahute Mesa area from October 28, 1975, through June 28, 1976. The report attributed the majority to eight nuclear events of local magnitude 5.8–6.3. It described the aftershocks as laterally displaced from the test ground zeros and occurring at depths of 4–6 kilometers, while the tests were buried at about 1 kilometer. USGS, 1977 Pahute Mesa report
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Those dates define the report’s observation window; they do not prove that the sequence began on October 28 or ended on June 28. More importantly, the report documents months of activity, not a sequence verified to have continued for multiple years.
Why the result does not apply to every test
The same Pahute Mesa report found that tests of local magnitude 5.5 or less at Rainier Mesa and Yucca Flat did not trigger aftershock sequences. The reported outcomes therefore differed with the events studied; the larger-event cases cannot be used to claim that every underground test produces a continuing sequence. USGS, 1977 Pahute Mesa report
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How far away can test-related earthquakes occur?
The USGS says possible triggered earthquakes are limited to a few tens of kilometers from a shot point. In the Benham study, the reported test-associated effects were within 13 kilometers of ground zero. These findings describe local effects, not a general expectation of distant damaging earthquakes. USGS FAQ; Hamilton, McKeown, and Healy, 1969, Benham study
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The USGS also discusses specific checks on claims of distant triggering. A comparison of Northern California earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 and larger with the six largest Nevada Test Site thermonuclear tests from 1965–1969 showed no peaks in earthquake rates at test times. The FAQ says the 1971 Cannikin test—whose five-megaton explosion released energy equivalent to a magnitude 6.9 earthquake—did not trigger earthquakes in the Aleutian Islands. The energy-equivalence figure describes the explosion, not a triggered earthquake; these examples are evidence about those cases, not proof that every possible distant effect is impossible. USGS: Can nuclear explosions cause earthquakes?
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What would substantiate a claim of years-long activity?
A claim that a particular test kept earthquakes going for years needs more than a nearby earthquake or a sequence reported over several months. It needs a named test, a cataloged sequence with dates spanning the claimed period, and a justified basis for attributing those events to the test rather than to ordinary regional seismic activity. The sources described above establish that triggering can happen, but do not establish a named multi-year sequence.
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