The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the tremor had a magnitude of 3.8, at a depth of 8km (5 miles), near Wem.
Fire crews in Market Drayton said they also felt the tremor and urged people not to call emergency services unless someone was in danger.
BGS records said the tremor began shortly after 14:30 BST, with the epicentre just south of Market Drayton.
Julie Williams lives in Wem and was upstairs when the earthquake hit. She told the BBC : “All I heard a thud and a shudder through the bedroom floor.”
“I knew straight away what it was, I was just like, get downstairs and get out.”
“It shocked me,” she said. “My legs went to jelly.”
Andy Semourson, who lives in Whitmere, said his whole house creaked and his furniture wobbled.
“It really shook the house,” he said. “[I’ve] never felt one as strong.”
BGS said an earthquake of this magnitude only tends to happen once every three years in the UK.
It added that more than 200 earthquakes are recorded each year in the UK.
