Officials confirmed a strong earthquake has hit western Montana.
The U.S. Geological Survey says that area was hit with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake early Thursday about 6 miles southeast of Lincoln. It had a depth of about 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) and created at least one aftershock.
The Independent Record reports that people felt the earthquake as far away as Bozeman, Idaho, and Great Falls.
The newspaper says the temble was strong enough to knock items off the shelves and walls of residents of Helena, which is about 34 miles away from the quake's epicenter. A 76-year-old Helena resident said it was the strongest quake he had ever felt.