RELATION BETWEEN BUILDING DAMAGE AND GROUND CONDITIONS IN THE 1999 QUINDIO EARTHQUAKE IN COLOMBIA

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 (M _b ) occurred in west-central part of Colombia on January 25, 1999. This earthquake is officially called Quindio Earthquake from the name of the most affected province. The earthquake caused disastrous damage to a large number of buildings resulting in significant casualties. In Armenia City and its neighbouring villages close to the epicentre over 1000 people were killed by the earthquake and the total monetary loss reached US$ 2 billion. Armenia City, which has an approximate population of 280 000 people, apparently suffered the worst in terms of casualties and damage to the buildings.

The present paper focuses on the causes of damage to houses and buildings in Armenia City. First, the evolution of the urban area of the city was investigated using historical features available maps from each era. Then a correlation between buildings damage and topographical features of the city was studied. The effects of geological features and amplification of ground motion were also investigated.