‘House shaking’: 5.7 magnitude earthquake felt in NT

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake was felt in the Northern Territory after it struck near the Banda Sea on Saturday morning.

The earthquake hit near the Banda Sea in the early hours of Saturday morning, Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

Residents in the Northern Territory woke to their houses shaking as a 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck near the Banda Sea, 620km north of Darwin, early Saturday morning.

The quake, which hit at 12.59am AEST, was felt across the state’s north, including in Darwin, Jabiru and Katherine, and Kununurra across the Western Australian border.

There were also reports of the quake being felt in East Timor, 700km northwest of Darwin.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre confirmed “there is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories” from the earthquake.

No #tsunami threat to Australia from #earthquake felt in Darwin, NT (magnitude 5.8 near Banda Sea). See https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/U8fQvm9ybW

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) September 22, 2023

The earthquake (in orange) was reported to have been felt in a number of towns in the Northern Territory. Picture: Geoscience Australia

Residents quickly took to social media when they felt tremors on Saturday morning.

“Did anyone else nust [sic] feel an earthquake in Darwin? It woke me up!” one person asked on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“House shaking,” one person wrote, while another agreed they were “right now feeling tremors.”

“Bed was shaking! … Certainly not as big as the last big one we had early this year,” said another.

Did anyone else nust feel an earthquake in Darwin? It woke me up!

— James Findlay (@james_findlay) September 22, 2023

@Csiro#Earthquake#Darwin house shaking.

— Sean Meaney (@Valianttheywere) September 22, 2023

Earthquake of 4.5 magnitude felt in Darwin, Australia.
At 12:32 am

Why it is always happens in the night time!🫨🫨#earthquake#BBNaijaXoraimo#squad#iPhone14ProMax#darwin#aus

— Ritu porna (@Rituporna21) September 22, 2023

In Darwin, the quake was felt as Australian folk rock legends The Waifs performed on stage at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.

“OMG! Darwin! You know how to turn a seated Venue into a club … And a 4.5 Earthquake to end the evening,” the band wrote on Facebook.

“Darwin, you Shake Rattle n Roll … Hoping Indonesia is safe.”

The Northern Territory has been rocked by a number of earthquakes this year.

Last month, Darwin residents reported feeling tremors as a 6.0 earthquake hit near the Banda Sea in the early morning hours.

Originally published as ‘House shaking’: 5.7 magnitude earthquake felt in NT