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Seismic hazard

Seismic hazard in La Guajira

Aa, Av, Ae and Ad for its 15 municipalities under the NSR-10.

Photo: Sven Mieke / Unsplash

According to Appendix A-4 of the NSR-10, of the 15 municipalities of La Guajira, 10 in the intermediate hazard zone and 5 in the low hazard zone. The capital, Riohacha, has Aa = 0.10 and Av = 0.15, intermediate hazard. Across the department, Aa ranges from 0.10 to 0.15 and Av from 0.10 to 0.15.

Municipalities
15
Capital
Riohacha
Aa / Av of the capital
0.10 / 0.15
High hazard
0
Intermediate hazard
10
Low hazard
5

Municipalities of La Guajira

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.
MunicipalityCodeAaAvZoneAeAd
Riohacha440010.100.15Intermediate0.070.04
Albania440350.100.10Low0.080.04
Barrancas440780.150.10Intermediate0.080.04
Dibulla440900.150.10Intermediate0.080.04
Distracción440980.150.10Intermediate0.080.04
El Molino441100.100.10Low0.060.04
Fonseca442790.150.10Intermediate0.070.04
Hatonuevo443780.150.10Intermediate0.080.04
La Jagua del Pilar444200.100.10Low0.050.03
Maicao444300.100.15Intermediate0.070.04
Manaure445600.100.15Intermediate0.070.04
San Juan del Cesar446500.150.10Intermediate0.050.03
Uribía448470.150.15Intermediate0.080.04
Urumita448550.100.10Low0.060.03
Villanueva448740.100.10Low0.050.03

What does it mean for design in La Guajira?

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 Riohacha, with each city's soil and environment, is on its structural engineering page.

Frequently asked questions

What seismic hazard zone is Riohacha in?

In the intermediate seismic hazard zone: Aa = 0.10 and Av = 0.15, according to Appendix A-4 of the NSR-10.

Which municipalities of La Guajira have the highest seismic hazard?

The department's highest coefficient, 0.15, is found in 10 municipalities, including Riohacha, Barrancas, Dibulla, Distracción, Fonseca and Hatonuevo.

How many municipalities of La Guajira are in each seismic hazard zone?

Of 15 municipalities, 0 are in the high hazard zone, 10 in the intermediate zone and 5 in the low zone (NSR-10, Appendix A-4).

Other departments

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