Strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia's Aceh

A strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off Aceh province in the north part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra early on Wednesday morning.

The US Geological Survey said the shallow quake hit 10 kilometres north of Reuleuet at 5.03 a.m. local time at a depth of 17.2 kilometres.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Indonesia's Climate Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, as saying that the quake has no potential to trigger a tsunami.

The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin

The quake could have been felt by people as far as 836 kilometres away, according to Geoscience Australia, and damage by the quake could stretch to as far as 67 kilometres from the epicentre.

There is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland. It may be recalled that Aceh was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.