A 5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes just 30 miles from Anchorage, Alaska, pictured (Photo: Creative Commons)

A magnitude-5.8 earthquake sends tremors across 175-miles of Alaska. The quake occured on Monday afternoon, 4:45pm, with an epicenter approximately 30 miles northwest of the city of Anchorage, according to the Alaska and West Coast Tsunami Warning Center. Measurements acquired by the Alaska Earthquake Information Center claim the epicenter was in fact closer, just 27 miles west of Anchorage.

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While the tremors were felt as far as the Homer fishing community tot he south and of Willow, 50 miles to the north of Anchorage, no earthquake-related deaths were reported within the 175-mile area. What's more, no damages beyond items falling off retail shelves were recorded. No building collapses or structural damages caused by the quake were reported.

Anchorage police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said, "No reports of damage thus far. Just a little shaker-upper." Parker felt the quake from his Wasilla home, 45 miles north of Anchorage.

John Owens, a resident of East Anchorage described the quake: "It hit like a bam, really hard." According to Owens, the quake started strong and was then followed by low shaking for about 30 seconds. Finally, "It ended with a second bam."

The state of Alaska is seismically active and frequently experiences earthquakes. However, most tremors are too small or too remote to be felt. The strongest recorded earthquake in North America occurred in Alaska when a staggering magnitude-9.2 shock struck on Good Friday, 1964, with an epicenter just 75 miles east of Anchorage on the Prince William Sound. A quake and tsunami killed 115 people in Alaska and another 16 in California.

According to Guy Urban, geophysicist of the Alaska and West Coast Tsunami Warning Center, the quake on Monday will not cause a tsunami.

Be sure to check out analysis of the earthquake by EarthAlerts in the video below: