The Royal Observatory of Belgium (ORB) recorded 99 natural earthquakes last year, it announced on Wednesday. This includes earthquakes recorded in other countries but registered in Belgium. Among the seismic events located in Belgium or neighbouring countries, only four were felt.
The ORB recorded 40 induced events (tremors caused by human activity), 469 quarry explosions, and at least 14 offshore explosions linked to the controlled detonation of bombs left over from the two world wars carried out by the Belgian, Dutch, or French armies.
Within Belgian territory, 17 natural earthquakes and 38 induced earthquakes were recorded by the ORB. It reports that the greatest seismic activity occurred on 16 November in Dessel, near Antwerp, with a magnitude of 2.1. This earthquake was linked to local manmade geothermal activities and was felt by inhabitants of Mol and Retie.
Three other events, which were hardly perceived, occurred in Ittre (Walloon Brabant), Waimes (province of Liège), and Dessel, the ORB noted.
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In 2021, 257 earthquakes occurred in Belgium and surrounding areas. The ORB says that this spike in seismic activity was due to an “earthquake swarm near the German village of Rott, 14 kilometres northeast of Eupen in Belgium’s German-speaking region.
The largest natural earthquakes were recorded on 20 June 2021 in Dampremy, near Charleroi, and on 28 August 2021 in Balen, near Eupen. Both events, with a local magnitude of 1.7, were not felt by residents.
