Seismic hazard in Bolívar

Aa, Av, Ae and Ad for its 45 municipalities under the NSR-10.

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According to Appendix A-4 of the NSR-10, of the 45 municipalities of Bolívar, 23 in the intermediate hazard zone and 22 in the low hazard zone. The capital, Cartagena, has Aa = 0.10 and Av = 0.10, low hazard. Across the department, Aa ranges from 0.10 to 0.15 and Av from 0.10 to 0.15.

Municipalities: 45
Capital: Cartagena
Aa / Av of the capital: 0.10 / 0.10
High hazard: 0
Intermediate hazard: 23
Low hazard: 22

Municipalities of Bolívar

Values from Appendix A-4 of the NSR-10. Tap a municipality to open its design spectrum.

Source: NSR-10, Title A, Appendix A-4. Zone according to A.2.3.
Municipality	Code	Aa	Av	Zone	Ae	Ad
Cartagena	13001	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Achí	13006	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.07	0.04
Altos del Rosario	13030	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.06	0.03
Arenal	13042	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.05	0.04
Arjona	13052	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Arroyohondo	13062	0.10	0.10	Low	0.07	0.04
Barranco de Loba	13074	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.05	0.03
Calamar	13140	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.04
Cantagallo	13160	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.04
Cicuco	13188	0.10	0.15	Intermediate	0.04	0.03
Clemencia	13222	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Córdoba	13212	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
El Carmen de Bolívar	13244	0.10	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.04
El Guamo	13248	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.04
El Peñón	13268	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.07	0.04
Hatillo de Loba	13300	0.15	0.10	Intermediate	0.05	0.03
Magangue	13430	0.10	0.15	Intermediate	0.04	0.03
Mahates	13433	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.03
Margarita	13440	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
María la Baja	13442	0.10	0.15	Intermediate	0.07	0.03
Mompós	13468	0.10	0.15	Intermediate	0.04	0.03
Montecristo	13458	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.04
Morales	13473	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.07	0.04
Pinillos	13549	0.10	0.15	Intermediate	0.05	0.03
Regidor	13580	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.07	0.04
Río Viejo	13600	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.07	0.04
San Cristóbal	13620	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.04
San Estanislao	13647	0.10	0.10	Low	0.06	0.03
San Fernando	13650	0.10	0.10	Low	0.04	0.03
San Jacinto	13654	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.04
San Jacinto del Cauca	13655	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.04
San Juan Nepomuceno	13657	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.04
San Martín de Loba	13667	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.06	0.04
San Pablo	13670	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.36	0.04
Santa Catalina	13673	0.10	0.10	Low	0.06	0.03
Santa Rosa	13683	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Santa Rosa del Sur	13688	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.04
Simití	13744	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.04
Soplaviento	13760	0.10	0.10	Low	0.08	0.04
Talaigua Nuevo	13780	0.10	0.10	Low	0.04	0.03
Tiquisio	13810	0.15	0.15	Intermediate	0.08	0.05
Turbaco	13836	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Turbaná	13838	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Villanueva	13873	0.10	0.10	Low	0.05	0.03
Zambrano	13894	0.10	0.10	Low	0.06	0.03

What does it mean for design in Bolívar?

Municipalities in the intermediate hazard zone. In reinforced concrete, the intermediate hazard zone no longer allows minimum dissipation (DMI): the structure is designed with moderate (DMO) or special (DES) energy dissipation capacity, with more reinforcement detailing requirements.

Municipalities in the low hazard zone. In reinforced concrete, the NSR-10 accepts structures with minimum energy dissipation capacity (DMI) in the low hazard zone, with the simplest detailing, and for occupancy groups I and II it limits the irregularity checks to a few types (A.3.3.6).

The municipality's value is only the starting point: the soil profile sets the coefficients Fa and Fv, and the occupancy group sets the importance factor. Work out the full spectrum with the NSR-10 design spectrum, or look up another municipality in the seismic hazard tool.

What the code requires in Cartagena, with each city's soil and environment, is on its structural engineering page.

Frequently asked questions

What seismic hazard zone is Cartagena in?

In the low seismic hazard zone: Aa = 0.10 and Av = 0.10, according to Appendix A-4 of the NSR-10.

Which municipalities of Bolívar have the highest seismic hazard?

The department's highest coefficient, 0.15, is found in 23 municipalities, including Achí, Altos del Rosario, Arenal, Barranco de Loba, Cantagallo and Cicuco.

How many municipalities of Bolívar are in each seismic hazard zone?

Of 45 municipalities, 0 are in the high hazard zone, 23 in the intermediate zone and 22 in the low zone (NSR-10, Appendix A-4).

Last updated: October 6, 2026

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Seismic hazard in Bolívar

Municipalities of Bolívar

What does it mean for design in Bolívar?

Frequently asked questions

Other departments

Do you have a project in Bolívar?