The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 7.3 quake on Sunday was centered 166 kilometers (103 miles) southeast of Ternate, the provincial capital, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).
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Indonesia's national disaster agency says the land-based earthquake didn't have any potential to cause a tsunami.
Still, many people ran to higher ground, and TV footage showed panicked people screaming while running out of a shopping mall.
Last week, a magnitude 6.9 subsea earthquake caused panic in parts of eastern Indonesia and triggered a tsunami warning.
Meanwhile, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in the Indian Ocean has been felt across large parts of Western Australia.
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The quake struck about over 100 miles off the coast at 1:39 p.m. on Sunday.
Sunday's earthquake is one of the most powerful ever to hit western Australia, although its impact is nowhere as severe as the magnitude-6.5 quake which hit over 50 years ago. There are no reports of injuries at this point and only minor damage.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.