The Royal Observatory of Belgium (ORB) recorded 120 natural earthquakes in or near Belgium in 2023, the organisation reported on Friday.
During the same year, the ORB also detected three man-made seismic activities, 344 quarry explosions, and at least 13 offshore controlled demolitions of World War I and II era bombs by Belgian, Dutch, and French armed forces.
In Belgium specifically, there were 23 natural earthquakes and a minimum of three human-induced quakes. The most significant of these occurred on 22 February 2023 in Maasmechelen, measuring 2.0 on the Richter scale, although it was not felt by residents.
Compared to 2023, Belgium and its adjacent regions experienced 99 earthquakes in 2022.
