On 13 April 1992 , a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred near the town of Roermond at a focal depth of about . This so-called Roermond earthquake was the strongest seismic event in Western Europe since 1756 . Following this earthquake , the water levels of numerous wells located in the Lower Rhine Embayment showed significant coseismic anomalies . The Roer Valley , which crosses three countries ( Belgium , The Netherlands , and Germany ) , is bounded by two north-northwest , south-southeast trending Quaternary normal fault systems . The eastern boundary is defined by the Peel boundary fault , along which the 1992 Roermond earthquake occurred , and the western boundary is defined by the Feldbiss fault zone , which is partly located in Belgium . Evidence of recent tectonic activity along the Feldbiss fault zone is visible on seismic profiles that show more than 600 m of offset in Neogene deposits . Although Ahorner demonstrated the existence of the Rhenish seismoactive zones and recommended a comprehensive analysis of Quaternary structures and background seismicity , coseismic movements were considered to be improbable and active faults remain largely unidentified
magnitude 5.4 earthquake
1992 Roermond earthquake
Roermond