Abstract
Abstract. A macroseismic methodology of seismic risk microzonation in a low-rise city based on the vulnerability of residential buildings is proposed and applied to Colima city, Mexico. The seismic risk microzonation for Colima consists of two elements: the mapping of residential blocks according to their vulnerability level and the calculation of an expert-opinion based damage probability matrix (DPM) for a given level of earthquake intensity and a given type of residential block. A specified exposure time to the seismic risk for this zonation is equal to the interval between two destructive earthquakes. The damage probability matrices were calculated for three types of urban buildings and five types of residential blocks in Colima. It was shown that only 9% of 1409 residential blocks are able to resist to the Modify Mercalli (MM) intensity VII and VIII earthquakes without significant damage. The proposed DPM-2007 is in good accordance with the experimental damage curves based on the macroseismic evaluation of 3332 residential buildings in Colima that was carried out after the 21 January 2003 intensity MM VII earthquake. This methodology and the calculated PDM-2007 curves may be applied also to seismic risk microzonation for many low-rise cities in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Highlights
Seismic risk is the probability that social or economic consequences of earthquakes will equal or exceed specified values in an area during a specified exposure time (EERI, 1984)
This paper presents the development of the 1999 methodology and its application to the seismic risk microzonation of the total territory of Colima city
To study the vulnerability of Colima residential buildings, we introduce a classification of the buildings according to their level of vulnerability and a classification of the residential blocks that represent the main unit of the urban infrastructure
Summary
Colima city (hereafter Colima), the capital of Colima state, is situated within the Pacific coastal zone of Mexico at a distance of about 60 km from the coast line (Fig. 1). It is within a region D of the highest seismic risk, according to the map of seismic zonation of Mexico (Manual, 1993). The earthquakes occurring within the Mexican subduction zone have reached magnitudes up to 8.5, and have strongly damaged the Colima houses in 1900, 1932, 1941, and 1973 Another important factor of danger is a regional across-trench rift system consisting of the continental Colima rift, within which Colima is situated, and its submarine continuation El Gordo graben (E.G.G.). The last destructive Mw 7.5 earthquake occurred on 21 January 2003 within this structure
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