The epicentre of the tremor, which didn't cause any injuries or fatalities, was reported to have been close to the town of Saint-Hilaire-de-Voust in the Vendée department of western France, which stands close to the department of Deux-Sèvres.
Residents in the area were left trembling and reports suggest the tremors were felt as far away as the city of Poitiers, 100 kilometres from the epicentre.
A baker in the town of Busseau told RMC radio: "I was in my bakery and then it was like a big explosion, a terrible shock, we thought a truck had crashed into a wall."
A baker in the town of Châtaigneraie added: "I was scared. I thought it was an explosion. There was a 'boom' for a few seconds, maybe five seconds. It's happened before but it's never been that powerful."
The mayor of the town of 2,700 residents Nicolas Maupetit told France Info radio: "I thought there had been an accident perhaps a lorry which had crashed into a house nearby. I felt the house shake. I grabbed my telephone in case people started calling. I have to say my heart was racing."
While it might have scared residents the earthquake did not provoke any real structural damage.
Comment: Last October the French Alps were rocked by 140 earthquakes in just over a month.