August 23, 2011 8:57 AM - UPI/Gary C. Caskey - An earthquake with a 5.3 magnitude, struck Colorado late Monday in an area of the U.S. where quakes are relatively rare, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Tuesday. The quake, the largest in the state in around 40 years, struck near midnight Monday night 180 miles south of Denver and 20 miles northwest of Raton, New Mexico, at a depth of 2.5 miles. Local media reported minor damage to some homes, but no injuries or deaths. "It's a seismically active area so it's not unheard of that you would have an earthquake in this area," USGS National Earthquake Information Center geophysicist Julie Dutton told Reuters Tuesday morning from Golden, Colorado. "But to have a 5.3 anywhere in Colorado, let alone in this area, is rare."

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