A minor earthquake rattled parts of Belgium on Sunday, March 16, 2026, prompting reports from residents who felt their homes shake. The tremor, registering a magnitude of 3.1 on the Richter scale – with one source reporting 3.2, according to Volcano Discovery – struck at precisely 5:28 a.m. Local time. The event serves as a reminder that seismic activity, though infrequent, is possible in the region.
The epicenter of the quake was located in Jalhay, and its hypocenter – the point where the rupture began – was relatively shallow, at a depth of 14.7 kilometers. While the magnitude was small, several people reported being awakened by the shaking.
“I felt it and I definitely wasn’t dreaming,” one resident told reporters. Social media quickly filled with accounts from those who experienced the tremor, with reactions varying widely.
Some residents reported not feeling anything at all, while others described a noticeable jolt. “It was like a bomb went off, and there was a noise too,” one person posted on Facebook. Others described “slight vibrations,” feeling their “house tremble,” or being “shaken in [their] bed – it was scary! The sensation was more like a shockwave after a bomb.”
