An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1, unusually powerful for Australia, has struck outside of Alice Springs.

The quake hit at 4:14am, 125 kilometres west of Uluru, at a depth of about 10 kilometres, according to Geoscience Australia.

Two aftershocks measuring 3.8 and 3.4 were recorded in the hour afterwards, and senior seismologist Johnathan Bathgate said more were expected.

He said there had been activity near the site before, with a 5.6 recorded slightly further west in 1999.

Geoscience Australia said the main tremor could have been felt as far as 507 kilometres from its epicentre, although any damage would be limited to a 40-kilometre radius.

No injuries or damage has been recorded and the Bureau of Meteorology said there was no risk of it causing a tsunami.

The nearest Indigenous community settlements were well over 100 kilometres away from the earthquake's epicentre.

Earthquake sounded like 'low-flying aeroplane'

Alice Springs Councillor Chansey Paech said he didn't initially realise that an earthquake had hit when he woke up this morning.

"It was the most bizarre experience because the ground was wobbling, was shaking," he said.

"It was an interesting experience to wake up to."

Cr Paech — who was staying at Yulara near Uluru when the earthquake hit — said it sounded like a low-flying aeroplane.

"So for some people I think it was not a traumatic experience, but a very anxious experience."

NT Police 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."

Earthquakes as powerful as today's are rarely seen in Australia.

The strongest recorded quake to hit Australia was a magnitude 6.6 earthquake which hit the small mining town of Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, in January 1988.

It took the title after a recent revision of the country's biggest tremors, which saw the previous title holder, the 1941 quake in Meeberrie in Western Australia, downgraded to a 6.3.

"Australia doesn't have many in excess of magnitude 6 on record," Mr Bathgate said.

"The last one was a 6.2 off Collier Bay in 1997."

However he said Australia was struck by an earthquake in excess of a magnitude 6 every 20 years "so we were due for one".

There has been a string of smaller quakes across the country recently.

Last month Kalgoorlie residents were woken by a 3.1 tremor, a 3.2 quake hit Leongathe in Victoria on April 5, and a series of small tremors were felt in Western Australia's Wheatbelt in late March.

Mr Bathgate said while there had not been more tremors than usual, Queensland had been quite active recently.

A magnitude-3.3 quake struck off the Fraser coast on 17 September followed by another, a 3.7, on December 26. A 3.2 hit near Monto on December 2, a 3.6 hit near Airlie Beach on November 19, and magnitude-4 quake was recorded 76 kilometres north east of Brisbane on October 23.

He said Western Australia's south west was Australia's hotspot for earthquakes, followed by the Flinders Ranges and the Gippsland region of Victoria.

The US Geological Survey previously recorded today's earthquake as a 5.9.

ABC/AFP