Powerful 5.9 magnitude earthquake strikes west of Alice Springs with the potential for damage up to 40km from the epicentre

 An usually powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck central Australia on Saturday morning. The quake was centred 460km south west of Alice Springs near the town of of Yulara

An usually powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck central Australia on Saturday morning.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the 10km-deep quake, which was centred 460km southwest of the outback town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

The earthquake hit just before 4am and was initially recorded at a magnitude of 6.2 before being revised down by the U.S Geological Survey.

The quake struck near Uluru, or Ayers Rock, a massive sandstone formation in the Australian outback.

Uluru resident Paul Lennen compared the rumbling of the earthquake to an aeroplane engine and said the tremor rattled his apartment for 15 seconds, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. 

He said: 'It woke me from my sleep, I really felt the apartment moving then it slowly tapered off.

'I could also hear it. I wasn't sure what the noise was, it sounded like a plane.'

Mr Lennen took a drive around the town after the quake but said he could see no signs of damage.

Another Uluru resident said the quake was strong but very short. 

 

A 'heat map' produced by the U.S Geological Survey showed the quake was 'strong to very strong' near the epicentre with a 'light to moderate' chance of damage

Northern Territory Police said the earthquake was 'pretty spectacular' but unlikely to have caused any injury or damage.

Duty superintendent Angela Stringer said: 'It occurred in the middle of the desert and as far as we can tell it was far from any community and there have been no reports of injuries or damage.

'From a geological perspective, it's pretty spectacular but we don't see it as anything more than that at this time.'

Northern Territory Police said the quake near Alice Springs (pictured) was 'unusually spectacular' but they did not anticipate it would cause any injuries or damage any property 

A U.S Geological Survey map of the earthquake's intensity showed shaking near the epicentre would have been 'strong to very strong' with a 'light to moderate' chance of damage.

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake could have been felt as far as 507km from its epicentre, although any damage would be limited to a 40km radius. 

The last major tremor recorded in the country was in 2012 when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the state of South Australia. It was the largest recorded in the country in 15 years.

The strongest-ever earthquake to hit Australia was a 6.6 magnitude tremor in 1988.

That quake struck near the small Northern Territory mining town of Tennant Creek and caused around $3million worth of damage.