5.8-magnitude quake rattles Anchorage

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A moderate earthquake rattled the area around Anchorage, Alaska, just before 5 p.m. Monday without causing any significant damage.

The Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer reported the magnitude was 5.8 on the Richter scale, The Anchorage Daily News said. The quake's epicenter was 25 miles west of Anchorage and 55 miles southwest of Palmer.

While a quake of 5.0-5.9 magnitude can cause significant damage in poorly designed buildings, this one did little more in Anchorage than knock things from shelves.

The quake was widely felt in the area.

The quake was the strongest in Anchorage in many years. In 2002, a 7.9-magnitude quake struck near Fairbanks.

Annie Pazar of Bella Boutique in Anchorage said several stainless steel flasks made by Kelly Hall, an Alaskan expatriate now living in Denver, fell without suffering any damage.

Pazar said she sent her friend a message: "I sent her a text -- 'Good product, Dude.'"