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Seismic zones map – Belgium

What are the Belgian seismic zones according to Eurocode 8 ?

In Belgium, the division is specified in the national annex to Eurocode 8 (The map below was created from this data). The Belgian area is divided into five seismic zones identified from 0 to 4.

Zone01234
Sismicité agr 0.39 m/s20.59 m/s20.78 m/s20.98 m/s2
Seismic zoning of Belgium (2011-2024)

Is my new building concerned ?

In Belgian regulations, the zones considered to be zones with very low seismicity are the zones for which the product agS( with ag = γI. agr does not exceed 0.06g (0.59m/s²). Here is the summary:

Zone/Ground typeABCDE
Zone 0No
Zone 1NoYes (except I and II)Yes (except I)
Zone 2Yes (except I and II)Yes
Zone 3Yes
Zone 4Yes

The soil factor S is depending of the stratigraphic profile of the ground and the type of recommended elastic response spectra with respect to the surface-wave magnitude.

Ground typeDescription of stratigraphic profileS parameter for spectrum type 2
A1,0
BDeposits of very dense sand, gravel, or very stiff clay, at least several tens of metres in thickness, characterised by a gradual increase of mechanical properties with depth.1,35
CDeep deposits of dense or medium-dense sand, gravel or stiff clay with thickness from several tens to many hundreds of metres.1,5
DDeposits of loose-to-medium cohesionless soil (with or without some soft cohesive layers), or of predominantly soft-to-firm cohesive soil.1,8
EA soil profile consisting of a surface alluvium layer with Vs values of type C or D and thickness varying between about 5m and 20m, underlain by stiffer material with Vs>800m/s.1,6

Buildings are classified in 4 importance classes, depending on the consequences of collapse for human life, on their importance for public safety and civil protection in the immediate post-earthquake period, and on the social and economic consequences of collapse.

Each importance class is attached to an importance factor γI

Importance classBuildingsγ I
IBuildings of minor importance for public safety, e.g. agricultural buildings, etc.0.8
IIOrdinary buildings, not belonging in the other categories.1.0
IIIBuildings whose seismic resistance is of importance in view of the consequences associated with a collapse, e.g. schools, assembly halls, cultural institutions etc.1.2
IVBuildings whose integrity during earthquakes is of vital importance for civil protection, e.g. hospitals, fire stations, power plants, etc.1.4
NOTE: Importance classes I, II and III or IV correspond roughly to consequences classes CC1, CC2 and CC3, respectively, defined in the Annex B to Eurocode 0.

Eurocodes Zoning allows you to obtain seismic zones in Belgium free of charge from a GPS point.


B1 – Localization

  • Coordinates in World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) 4.9053°, 50.2445°
  • Coordinates in Belgian Geodetic System 2008 (Lambert 2008) 688279m, 603864m

Address Rondchêne, 5500 Dinant, Wallonie


B2 – Altitudes

Coordinates4.9013°, 50.241°4.9044°, 50.2436°
Elevations96m189m
Obstacle effective height H93m
Slope actual length Lu / Ld 361.4m
Slope angle Φ 25.7%
Horizontal distance site/top x121.2m
Elevation at the place of construction197m

B3 – Building

  • Type of building : common building with floors (apartments and/or office spaces)
  • Design working life category : 100 years
  • Max height : 7.0m
  • Orientation from North : 35°

B4 – Terrain categories

Sectors1234
CategoriesIIIIIIIII
Radius R of the angular sector 300m

C1 – Snow

NBN EN 1991-1-3 ANB (october 2007)

  • Zone Belgium : (sk,0 = 0.5 kN/m²)
  • Criteria for zoning : Dinant, Namur
  • Characteristic value of snow on the ground at the relevant site : sk,197 = 0.613 kN/m²
  • Ground snow load with a return period of 100 years : s100 ans = 0.695 kN/m²

C2 – Wind

NBN EN 1991-1-4 ANB (december 2010)

  • Zone : 24.0 m/s
  • Criteria for zoning : Dinant, Namur
  • Zone cdir : Belgium
Sectors1234
Sector definition from  350 °  to  80 ° from  80 °  to  170 ° from  170 °  to  260 ° from  260 °  to  350 °
Fundamental value of the basic wind velocity  vb,0 24.0m/s
Shape parameter  K 0.2
Exponent n0.5
Annual probability of exceedence p0.01
Probability factor  cprob 1.038
Directional factor  cdir 1.00.9831.01.0
Basic wind velocity  vb 24.9m/s24.5m/s24.9m/s24.9m/s
Reference roughness length  z0,II 0.05m
Roughness length  z0 0.05m0.05m0.3m0.05m
Terrain factor  kr 0.190.190.2150.19
Height above ground z7.0m
Minimum height  zmin 2.0m2.0m5.0m2.0m
Roughness factor  cr(z) 0.9390.9390.6780.939
Obstacle typecliffs
Exposure typedownwind
Factor depending on the type and dimensions of the obstacle  s max 0.00.00.5980.0
Orography factor  * co(z) 1.01.01.3081.0
Mean wind velocity  vm(z) 23.4m/s23.0m/s22.1m/s23.4m/s
Turbulence factor  kl 0.9950.9951.2470.995
Standard deviation of the turbulence  σv 4.713m/s4.634m/s6.696m/s4.713m/s
Turbulence intensity  Iv(z) 0.2010.2010.3030.201
Air density  ρ 1.225kg/m3
Exposure factor  ce(z) 2.1242.1242.4561.124
Peak velocity pressure qp(z) 824.7N/m2797.5N/m2953.3N/m2824.7N/m2
Peak wind velocity for Serviceability Limit States  vp(z),SLS 130.8km/h128.6km/h140.6km/h130.8km/h
Peak wind velocity for Ultimate Limit States  vp(z),ULS 160.2km/h157.5km/h172.2km/h160.2km/h
* The orography factor is calculated for a well individualized obstacle (an emergent zone compared to a general ground without marked relief)

C3 – Seism

NBN EN 1998-1 ANB (october 2011)

  • Zone : 1 (0,39 m/s²)
  • Criteria for zoning : Dinant, Namur
  • A seismic analysis may be required for this building.