Development of a first 3D crustal velocity model for the region of Bogotá, Colombia

Knowledge regarding the characteristics of soils in Bogota basin has been possible to get through previous microzonation studies. However, there is still insufficient knowledge of the crustal velocity structure of the region. Bogota is located in a region prone to a significant seismic hazard. Historically, the city has been affected by strong earthquakes, reaching moment magnitudes greater than or equal to 7. Furthermore, the city was built on a lacustrine basin, with soft soils of considerable depth that may strongly amplify the ground motion during an earthquake. In this article, we describe the development of a first crustal structure and material properties model for the region of Bogota, Colombia, covering an area of about 130 km by 102 km. This effort aims at constructing a realistic 3D seismic velocity model using geological and geotechnical information from several sources. Major geological units have been identified and mapped into the model. The Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation was used to create continuous surfaces delimiting the geological units. Seismic-wave properties are assigned to any point in the domain using a location-based approach. We expect this model to be useful for a wide range of applications, including dynamic ground motion simulations and fault system modeling.