Seismic hazard by municipality
Aa, Av, Ae and Ad for all 1,117 municipalities in Colombia, from Appendix A-4 of the NSR-10.
Photo: Daniel McCullough / Unsplash
The NSR-10 assigns every municipality in Colombia an acceleration coefficient, Aa, and a velocity coefficient, Av. With them it defines the seismic hazard zone: low if neither exceeds 0.10; intermediate if either exceeds 0.10 and neither goes above 0.20; high if either exceeds 0.20 (A.2.3). Look up your municipality to see its four values and open the design spectrum.
- High hazard
- 544 municipalities
- Intermediate hazard
- 435 municipalities
- Low hazard
- 138 municipalities
- Source
- NSR-10, Appendix A-4
Atlántico, code 08001
Barranquilla
Seismic hazard zone Low
- Aa
- 0.10
- Av
- 0.10
- Ae
- 0.05
- Ad
- 0.03
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).
What do Aa, Av, Ae and Ad mean?
They are the four seismic hazard parameters the NSR-10 gives for each municipality. Aa and Av define the design ground motions for every new building; Ae and Ad are used in particular cases.
| Parameter | What it represents | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|
| Aa | Effective peak horizontal acceleration, with a 10 % probability of being exceeded in 50 years (A.2.2.1) | Hazard zone, Fa coefficient and the plateau of the design spectrum |
| Av | Effective peak horizontal velocity, with the same probability (A.2.2.1) | Hazard zone, Fv coefficient and the descending branch of the spectrum |
| Ae | Reduced effective peak acceleration, with a 20 % probability of being exceeded in 50 years (A.10.3.1) | Assessment of existing buildings for limited safety; never for designing new buildings |
| Ad | Effective peak acceleration at the damage threshold, with an 80 % probability of being exceeded in 50 years (A.12.2.1) | Additional requirements for essential and community-service buildings (chapter A.12) |
How is the seismic hazard zone defined?
By the larger of the two coefficients, Aa or Av (table A.2.3-1). Among other things, the zone decides what energy dissipation capacity the structure may have.
| Zone | Condition (A.2.3) | In reinforced concrete it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Aa and Av do not exceed 0.10 | Minimum (DMI), moderate (DMO) or special (DES) energy dissipation |
| Intermediate | Aa or Av exceeds 0.10 and neither goes above 0.20 | Moderate (DMO) or special (DES) energy dissipation |
| High | Aa or Av exceeds 0.20 | Special energy dissipation (DES) only |
Departmental capitals
Aa and Av from Appendix A-4. Where table A.2.3-2, of capitals, gives a different value, we show it alongside.
| City | Department | Aa | Av | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arauca | Arauca | 0.15 | 0.15 | Intermediate |
| Armenia | Quindío | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Barranquilla | Atlántico | 0.10 | 0.10 | Low |
| Bogotá D. C. | Bogotá D. C. | 0.15 | 0.20 | Intermediate |
| Bucaramanga | Santander | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Cali | Valle del Cauca | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Cartagena | Bolívar | 0.10 | 0.10 | Low |
| Cúcuta | Norte de Santander | 0.35 | 0.25 (A.2.3-2: 0.30) | High |
| Florencia | Caquetá | 0.20 | 0.15 | Intermediate |
| Ibagué | Tolima | 0.20 | 0.20 | Intermediate |
| Leticia | Amazonas | 0.05 | 0.05 | Low |
| Manizales | Caldas | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Medellín | Antioquia | 0.15 | 0.20 | Intermediate |
| Mitú | Vaupés | 0.05 | 0.05 | Low |
| Mocoa | Putumayo | 0.30 | 0.25 | High |
| Montería | Córdoba | 0.10 | 0.20 (A.2.3-2: 0.15) | Intermediate |
| Neiva | Huila | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Pasto | Nariño | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Pereira | Risaralda | 0.25 | 0.25 | High |
| Popayán | Cauca | 0.25 | 0.20 | High |
| Puerto Carreño | Vichada | 0.05 | 0.05 | Low |
| Puerto Inírida | Guainía | 0.05 | 0.05 | Low |
| Quibdó | Chocó | 0.35 | 0.35 | High |
| Riohacha | La Guajira | 0.10 | 0.15 | Intermediate |
| San Andrés | San Andrés y Providencia | 0.10 | 0.10 | Low |
| San José Del Guaviare | Guaviare | 0.05 | 0.05 | Low |
| Santa Marta | Magdalena | 0.15 | 0.10 | Intermediate |
| Sincelejo | Sucre | 0.10 | 0.15 | Intermediate |
| Tunja | Boyacá | 0.20 | 0.20 | Intermediate |
| Valledupar | Cesar | 0.10 | 0.10 | Low |
| Villavicencio | Meta | 0.25 (A.2.3-2: 0.35) | 0.30 | High |
| Yopal | Casanare | 0.30 | 0.20 | High |
All municipalities, by department
- Amazonas11 municipalities
- Antioquia125 municipalities
- Arauca7 municipalities
- Atlántico23 municipalities
- Bogotá D. C.1 municipality
- Bolívar45 municipalities
- Boyacá123 municipalities
- Caldas27 municipalities
- Caquetá16 municipalities
- Casanare19 municipalities
- Cauca41 municipalities
- Cesar25 municipalities
- Chocó31 municipalities
- Córdoba28 municipalities
- Cundinamarca116 municipalities
- Guainía9 municipalities
- Guaviare4 municipalities
- Huila37 municipalities
- La Guajira15 municipalities
- Magdalena30 municipalities
- Meta29 municipalities
- Nariño63 municipalities
- Norte de Santander40 municipalities
- Putumayo13 municipalities
- Quindío12 municipalities
- Risaralda14 municipalities
- San Andrés y Providencia2 municipalities
- Santander87 municipalities
- Sucre25 municipalities
- Tolima47 municipalities
- Valle del Cauca42 municipalities
- Vaupés6 municipalities
- Vichada4 municipalities
Frequently asked questions
What seismic hazard zone is Barranquilla in?
In the low hazard zone (Aa 0.10, Av 0.10), according to Appendix A-4 and table A.2.3-2 of the NSR-10. Cartagena and Valledupar have the same values; Santa Marta, Montería, Sincelejo and Riohacha are in the intermediate hazard zone.
What is the seismic zone of Bogotá, Medellín and Cali?
Bogotá, intermediate hazard (Aa 0.15, Av 0.20); Medellín, intermediate hazard (Aa 0.15, Av 0.20); Cali, high hazard (Aa 0.25, Av 0.25).
Where are the official values?
In Title A of the NSR-10: table A.2.3-2 lists the departmental capitals, and Appendix A-4 lists every municipality in the country with Aa, Av, Ae, Ad and the hazard zone. This tool transcribes Appendix A-4; if there is any difference, the official text prevails.
What should I do if the table of capitals and Appendix A-4 do not match?
It happens in three capitals: Montería, Cúcuta and Villavicencio. The code does not say which prevails. The conservative option is to design with the larger value of each coefficient and agree on it with the independent reviewer and the curaduría.
Is the municipality's value enough to design with?
No. Aa and Av are the starting point. The forces also depend on the soil profile, which sets the coefficients Fa and Fv (A.2.4), and on the occupancy group, which sets the importance factor I (A.2.5). Where the municipality has adopted a seismic microzonation study, its regulations replace sections A.2.4 and A.2.6 (A.2.9.1).
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