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Magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattles south-central Alaska

By Steve Quinn JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattled a wide area of south-central Alaska, including Anchorage, on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. The tremor struck just after 6:30 p.m. Alaska time in a remote area about 40 miles south of Mount Redoubt, an active volcano near Cook Inlet, and 140 miles southwest of Anchorage, the state's largest city, the USGS said on its website. It originated about 70 miles underground, the USGS said. The quake generated shaking that was felt as far away as the port of Valdez, about 240 miles northeast of the tremor's epicenter, according to the agency. The quake was also felt in numerous communities of the Kenai Peninsula, such as Homer, Kenai and Nikiski, where one person reported on a Facebook posting that parked cars began to move. Earthquakes of that magnitude, while capable of causing substantial damage if they occur near densely populated areas, are fairly common throughout seismically active Alaska. A much stronger quake measured at a magnitude 6.9 struck Fox Island in the Aleutians chain, about 950 miles southwest of Anchorage, but was of little consequence. (Reporting by Steve Quinn from Juneau, Alaska; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles)