There were no immediate reports of damage after the quake struck inland at a depth of just 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), 55 kilometres south of Bireun and 72 kilometres southeast of Reuleuet, said the USGS.

People ran out of buildings in panic in the provincial capital Banda Aceh as the quake shook houses for around one minute, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

But the USGS estimated there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage.

A massive quake struck off Aceh in 2004, sparking a tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province on Sumatra and tens of thousands more in countries around the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. (AFP)