UPDATE 2-Quake shakes north Chile copper area, no damage

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Wed Sep 10, 2008 2:22pm EDT

(Updates with Collahuasi mine unaffected)

SANTIAGO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck northern Chile on Wednesday, frightening residents and prompting the evacuation of at least one school, officials said, but no damage was reported to a large copper mine in the area.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit 63 miles (100 km) east of Iquique in Chile's far north, near the country's large copper mining areas. Chile is the world's leading copper producer.

Chile's Collahuasi copper mine, owned by Xstrata Copper (XTA.L) and Anglo American (AAL.L), was unaffected, officials said.

"The mine was not affected at all," Hernan Farias, union leader of workers at the Collahuasi mine said. "Operations are running normally."

The USGS earlier measured the earthquake magnitude at 6.1, then revised the figure downward.

"Things are calm now after a quake which was felt intensely by the local population," said Miriam Escobar, provincial governor of Iquique. "There are some reports of landslides in the region, but no damage has been reported." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Monica Vargas, Manuel Farias, Antonio de la Jara and Simon Gardner)

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