Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert on Thursday after a strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the country's east, but lifted the warning less than one hour later.

The quake happened at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) at 2200 GMT, 122 kilometres northwest of Ternate city in North Maluku province, the meteorology and geophysics bureau said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at 6.6 and said it occurred at a depth of 93 kilometres.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology also reported a 6.6-magnitude quake in the North Maluku area and said it was felt over the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

"I felt the shaking but it wasn't really strong," said Ojihan Washab, a hospital worker in Ternate. He said he was not planning to move to safety despite the tsunami warning.

Japan also reported a strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake in the north of the country, at 0021 GMT on Thursday. Japan's Meteorological Agency warned of mild tsunami seismic waves.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004 that killed 168,000 people in the country's westernmost Aceh province.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet, causing seismic and volcanic activity.

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