LAS VEGAS — A swarm of unusually shallow earthquakes rattled the remote Nevada desert near the secretive Area 51 military base this week, with at least 17 tremors recorded in a 24-hour period including a 4.4 magnitude quake that raised eyebrows among scientists and conspiracy theorists alike.

The strongest tremor struck at a depth of just 2.5 miles underground, far shallower than typical seismic activity in the region, which usually originates 6 to 12 miles below the surface. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the series of events, which were felt by residents in nearby communities, though no significant damage was reported.

Geophysicist Stefan Burns noted the atypical location and depth in a widely viewed analysis. "This is an unusual place to get an earthquake," he said, while cautioning that the activity is most likely natural. However, the shallow depths have fueled online speculation linking the quakes to possible underground nuclear testing at the highly classified facility, long a magnet for conspiracy theories involving advanced weapons and extraterrestrial activity.

Area 51, part of the Nevada Test and Training Range, has a documented history of nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War era. While the U.S. government has not conducted full-scale nuclear tests since 1992,........

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