Melbourne hit by minor earthquake

A minor but unusual earthquake has rattled Melbourne's northern suburbs.

The magnitude 2 tremor happened just before 11am (AEST) on Wednesday near Craigieburn, about 20km from the Melbourne city centre.

It was felt by a number of residents in nearby suburbs, the Seismology Research Centre reported, but there was no known damage.

Seismologist Wayne Peck said small earthquakes were common but this one was unusual because it appeared to be shallow, occurring at a depth of about one kilometre under the surface instead of the standard 10km.

That meant its effects could be felt over a wider and more populated area, he told AAP.

Mr Peck said it was unlikely another earthquake would follow.

"Usually events of that magnitude don't have aftershocks," he said.

"We do know that earthquakes cluster in time and space, so there is a small increase in the likelihood of there being another earthquake in the near future, but it is coming off a very low probability."

A Greenvale resident, identified only as Steven, told Fairfax radio the tremor shook his house and he nearly fell over.

Roxburgh Park resident Debbie also told Fairfax radio she was almost knocked out of bed, but the tremor did not last long.