POPAYAN, THE WHITE CITY IN COLOMBIA,
35 YEARS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE

The case of Popayán City earthquake

On 31st March 1983, an earthquake with 5,5 Mw (VIII Mercalli intensity) at a hypocentral depth between 12 and 15 Km, and at an epicentre, 46 km to the Southwest of Popayán in Colombia, struck the city (439,257 inhabitants). Popayán is the capital of the department of Cauca, Colombia (Figure 1).