Belgium suffered 79 earthquakes last year
Figures published on the website of Belgium's Royal Observatory show that 79 earthquakes were registered across Belgium in 2014. Fortunately most of the earthquakes were minor events and caused little damage.
The Royal Observatory's Koen Verbeeck says that both for Belgium and for the wider world 2014 was a quiet year.
All 79 earthquakes were registered by the Royal Observatory. The most powerful quake was recorded on Christmas Day and at its epicentre in Tiel, The Netherlands, measured a force of 2.7.
No major seismic events causing large damage were recorded. Koen Verbeeck: "It's been a calm year for earthquakes around the world. There were only a handful of force 7 quakes. None registered force 8. That's very positive, but for seismic research it was a poor year."
The most forceful earthquake in Belgium occurred in 1692 in the Verviers area. The quake measured a force of 6.2 and was felt across what today is called Belgium.