An earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale hit Atux City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Thursday morning, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The quake happened at 8:55 a.m. (Beijing time). The epicenter was 40.1 degrees north latitude and 76.5 degrees east longitude with a depth of 9 km.

No reports on casualties was available.

"The tremors were felt but they did not last long," an Atux resident surnamed Zheng told Xinhua over phone.

Tremors measuring 4-5 on the Richter scale frequently happen in the region, which seats in the eastern part of the Pamirs Plateau.