Here’s a headline you won’t read every day in Western Australia.

While tropical cyclone alerts are common for the Kimberley region — a different type of alert has shocked the region with a 4.9 magnitude earthquake recorded off the coast of Broome today around 5:00 pm, at a depth of 10 km.

Some residents said they saw their cupboards shake and ornaments move, while one resident on Broome Weather Facebook group said the earthquake lasted for five minutes.

Currently, no damage has been reported from the earthquake.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has reported there is no current tsunami risk.

It is normal for aftershocks to occur for months after the initial earthquake – you can submit your felt reports via earthquakes.ga.gov.au.

Biggest earthquake recorded in Western Australia

The 4.9 magnitude earthquake recorded in Broome isn’t the biggest earthquake Western Australia and Broome have felt. In 2019, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck approximately 200 km west-southwest of Broome on July, 14th at a depth of 10 km. The earthquake was felt across northern Western Australia; however, the isolation of the earthquake meant only minimal damage was reported in Broome.