The 4.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the town of Denman in NSW could have been caused by coal mining in the area, according to an expert.
The quake, which shook homes and sparked panic, was recorded at 12.02pm on Friday with reports of tremors as far south as Sydney, 171km away.
There were no reports of serious injuries but chimneys collapsed and some residents suffered power outages.
Thousands of Aussies reported feeling the effects of the quake across an area spanning hundreds of kilometres — all the way from south of Sydney.
up to the NSW mid-north coast. The earthquake hit Denman, around three hours north of Sydney in the upper Hunter region, just after 12pm, with locals in the area and surrounds left in amazement, and many in disbelief at what had occurred.