Magnitude 6.2 earthquake felt in Northern Territory

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake has been felt by people in the Northern Territory this afternoon.

Geoscience Australia confirmed the earthquake, originating off the coast of Timor Leste, struck at around 12.06 this afternoon. 550 people in the Territory reported they noticed the quake.

The Bureau of Meteorology said there is currently no threat of a tsunami as a result of the quake, which was felt in Darwin and surrounding regions.

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"The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre has detected an earthquake that has been reported as being felt near Darwin, NT," the BoM said.

"There is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories."

Residents in Darwin reported feeling their "house rocking" temporarily and tremors in their offices and homes.

"Wow, I just felt the earth move here in Darwin," one resident said.

"An earthquake just shook our office building here in Casuarina."

Senior Seismologist Trevor Allen from Geoscience Australia said people from Darwin to Katherine and Kununurra in Western Australia reported feeling the earthquake.

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"I would generally expect people might have felt the shaking for about 30 seconds in the Darwin region," Allen said.

"We haven't received any reports of damage the reports have generally shown the shaking felt to be minor.

"As yet we haven't detected any aftershocks."

He said people in high-rise buildings typically feel the shaking effects more due to the natural frequency and design of the buildings.

"A magnitude 6.2 is quite a strong earthquake and initial reports from Timor Leste suggest it was quite strongly felt on the island.

"In terms of what to do if you do feel an earthquake, the best advice we have is to drop under a sturdy object or table, cover yourself, particularly your head and wait for the shaking to stop."

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