6.2 magnitude earthquake felt by hundreds in Top End

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake in the Banda Sea jostled hundreds of Top End residents last night. Did you feel the ground shake?

More than 500 people in the Top End were jostled awake by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in the Banda Sea overnight.

The earthquake was felt about 1.20am on Thursday and was felt by 544 people across the Top End, according to GeoScience Australia.

Most reports centred in Darwin, with other reports felt as far as Mataranka and Kununurra.

No #tsunami threat to Australia from #earthquake felt in Darwin, NT (magnitude 6.2 near Banda Sea). See https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/wihisz7rG5

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) May 24, 2023

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre reported there was no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, Islands or Territories as a result of the report.

Residents took to Facebook to post about the quake, with some describing it as a “short but sharp” shake.

“A bed jolter,” one man wrote.

“Woke me up from a sound sleep at 1.21am. Thought it was a big jet landing at the airport.”

There were mixed reports on whether people felt the latest tremor.

“It woke me up, I thought I was dreaming lol had to check Facebook to make sure I wasn’t crazy,” Jamie Leigh wrote.

“Nope, I was dead to the world,” Ell said.

It is the fifth earthquake to shake the Top End in the past 12 months.

A magnitude 7.6 tremor jolted Territorians awake in January, while two around the magnitude 5 mark were felt weeks apart in August and a magnitude 6.4 quake was recorded on May 27, 2022.