The Integrity of Engineered Structures: The Relevance of Earthquake Engineering Considerations in Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to create awareness in the structural

engineering profession in Nigeria that earthquake lateral forces

should be considered in the designs of structures in seismic active

zone s in the country to mitigate its effects on the structural integrity

of structure. Literature reviews were carried out to investigate the

possibility of earthquake occurrence in Nigeria and results showed

that earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 to 4.5 on the Richter scale have

occurred in some places in this country in recent times. More so due

to the discovery of a NNE-SSW trending Ifewara-Zungeru fault zone

which has been shown to be linked with the Atlantic fracture system

close to Nigeria, will make it more prone to earthquake threats.

Although, several earthquakes may be mild at present, but these

earth tremors may portends a built up to major earthquakes in

future. Therefore, structural engineers should be prepared for the

future by yielding to the clarion call to include earthquake lateral

forces in designing for structures in seismic active areas in Nigeria

to mitigate its effects on the structural integrity of structures