The largest earthquake to strike Colorado in almost 40 years has shaken hundreds of people near the New Mexico border.

The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., says a magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded at about 11:46 p.m. MDT Monday about nine miles southwest of Trinidad, Colo., and about 180 miles south of Denver. It follows two smaller quakes that hit the area earlier in the day.

U.S. Geological Service geophysicist Amy Vaughn says the quake is the largest in Colorado since a magnitude 5.7 was recorded in 1973. That quake was centered in the northwestern part of the state– about 50 miles north of Grand Junction.

A Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher said a few homes have been damaged and deputies were investigating reports of rock-slides along a highway.