A study by Chinese geologists shows the mountain above North Korea’s main nuclear test site has collapsed under the stress of nuclear test explosions. This would render the site unsafe for further nuclear testing and necessitate monitoring for any leaking radiation.
Is this perhaps the reason Kim Jong-Un has agreed to denuclearize North Korea? Perhaps, but of course, we’ll probably never know. The findings by the scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China may shed new light on North Korean President Kim Jong Un’s announcement that his country was ceasing its testing program.
Nuclear explosions release enormous amounts of heat and energy, and the North’s largest test in September was believed early on to have rendered the site in northeastern North Korea unstable. The data in the latest Chinese study was collected following the most powerful of the North’s six nuclear device tests on September 3, 2017 that they believed could have triggered four earthquakes over the following weeks. The yield of the bomb was estimated at more than 100 kilotons of TNT, at least 10 times stronger than anything the North had tested previously. (The bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of about 15 kilotons.)
The University of Science and Technology of China paper, authored by Tian Dongdong, Yao Jiawen, and Wen Lianxing, said the first of those earthquakes that occurred eight-and-a-half minutes after the explosion was “an onsite collapse toward the nuclear test center,” while those that followed were an “earthquake swarm” in similar locations.
“In view of the research finding that the North Korea nuclear test site at Mantapsan has collapsed, it is necessary to continue to monitor any leakage of radioactive materials that may have been caused by the collapse,” the authors said in a summary dated Monday and viewed Wednesday on the university’s website. –USA Today
The Chinese study makes sense and is based on “well-understood research,” said Rowena Lohman, a seismologist at Cornell University who wasn’t part of the work, but believes there’s an international effort that monitors these tests for radiation. The study is peer-reviewed and has been accepted for publication by the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
On Saturday, North Korea announced it will close its nuclear testing facility and suspend nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests (a move welcomed by President Trump as “big progress”) and which comes ahead of a planned summit between Trump and Kim.
However, the media wants us all to know that the North stopped short of suggesting it will give up its nuclear weapons or scale back its production of missiles and their related components.
The reader has to ask himself if “the story is really true or is it just a means of saving face?”. North Korea will continue to develop nuclear missiles capable of reaching us but they’ll be less open about it. This will probably satisfy the Trump administration and some of the economic sanctions will be lifted.
In all likelihood most of their nuke scientist were in the facility when it collapsed, no scientist no nukes.
Trump’s pressure on them pushed them to cut corners, result was mistakes and kabooom!
They couldn’t care less about Trumps sanctions, they were determined to have the Bomb.
They are however using the opportunity to have “talks” with Trump so that they can get the sanctions lifted while they rebuild their nuclear program.
Its about buying time.
And digging another hole.
Meanwhile in other news, Kim’s prison population gainfully and gleefully employed in digging out another hole in the ground for their ‘Dear Leader’ to resume testing once this b.s. of diplomatic talks is over. 100 kilotons. Think about that. Sounds like he’s got working nukes to me.
Looks like little Kim doesn’t want to play with his little red button any longer…his playground got ruined.
So, you dig another hole. We did here all the time during the 1950s when we were setting off nuclear bombs all the time at the Nevada Test Site.
North Korea has a total area listed at 46,528 square miles which is about the size of Pennsylvania. There are plenty of places to dig.
And remember that here in the land of the free how our government knowingly exposed so many Americans to radiation at the test sites and nearby towns. Did you know the government had nuke labs located under the stands at the University of Chicago? In the middle of Chicago.
If it leaks radiation, which is the danger of it, it would be detectable at all sorts of international radiation monitoring stations.
In any event, it would be simple enough to just open a new test site if Kim wanted to carry on nuclear testing.
Anonymous, the SMARTEST thing to do is stop the nuke testing altogether. There’s no telling how many people on both sides of that border have been exposed to radiation and already died from it. NK is estimated to have up to 200,000 political prisoners and all of those prisons are in the same region as the test site. No telling how many of them were already sacrificed in the previous nuclear tests.
You actually think the US government cares about your well-being? You only count for as long as you are feeding the endless war and endless war-mongering machine with your wages and taxes. Why would your own government care whether you live our die? They have a whole “caravan” of foreigners just waiting to move in and take your place. Now get back to work debt slave, tax serf.
Porky just recently traveled to Beijing for his first-ever meeting with his Chinese benefactors and his first trip outside NK since he came to power. It’s possible Xi Jinping told him to stop his nuke testing altogether. Supposedly in that same region where the tests were taking place there’s a dormant volcano on the Chinese side of the border that may be waking up. There’s supposedly a hole in the NK mountain where radioactive materials are escaping into the air, dangerous for both the Norks and Chinese. That’s most likely the REAL reason for Porky to stop playing with nukes. Can’t go and piss off the only true ally and benefactor you have. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
As things keep getting more and more interesting between the US, China and Russia, if you thought the US was about to get into it with China and Russia, and you were North Korea, wouldn’t you want to have the security of having nukes backing you up, and covering your butt?
You bet. Sure you would. Absolutely. Damn Straight.
I see some Nork geologists lined up in front of anti-aircraft guns real soon…
This whole article is fake news.
The U.S. went underground when they started understanding more about radiation and fallout. And the picture wasn’t pretty. The U.S. government wants you to think that the test ban treaty with the former Soviet Union sent everything underground. BS.
The pictures of all their open air above ground tests didn’t help much. The public went from the expected “Gee Whiz! Wow!” response to a very wary and real “WTF!”
I think the statement by some Pentagon loser, a general, that they were not “nuclear playboys” really did it.
Testing underground meant drilling and mining. That’s how you test underground. Only the atomic bombs stayed underground. The nuclear detonation collapsed everything underground. I mean like “DUH.” This whole bit about North Korean nuclear scientist caught underground is pure BS.
The North Koreans aren’t stupid. They see what happens to leaders and despots who negotiate with the US. They end up dead. If I was North Korea I wouldn’t give up my nukes. Not when things are heating up between the US and China and Russia.
This summit is another Bill Clinton deal. The North Koreans promise to behave, and the US sends them billions of American taxpayer money. Another freaking bailout. Another raw deal for the American people.
So what else is new?
Blame-e, I have the feeling you’re going to be right. I have the same scenario in my mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE06ECcimb8