“Our party has sent a congratulatory telegram to nuclear scientist for successful nuclear test” – so North Korea’s state television celebrated country’s latest nuclear test on 8 September 2017, confirming what Seismographs had been doing for five days Previously suspected: North Korea had tested a nuclear weapon for sixth time. This bomb was strongest so far, it was said n.
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Now a group of scientists around geographer Wang Teng has once again analyzed wher that is true. For this purpose y evaluated data from satellites, seismographs and radars. Their results were published in magazine Science (Wang et al., 2018). The explosion had power of an estimated 120 to 300 kilos of explosive TNT and was detonated in about 450 meters depth, write. “This is roughly equivalent to ten times of Hiroshima bomb, which had an explosive power of about 15 kilos of tons,” says Wang. He is main author of study and scientist at Earth Observatory of Singapore.
The test, like all or North Korean nuclear tests, took place inside Mantapsan mountain near Punggye-ri test Site. It’s only nuclear weapons test site that outsiders know. Since first Test in year 2006, prototypes grew in ir explosive power, as Wang also confirmed in new study: “Our analysis shows that this was definitely biggest nuclear test that North Korea has carried out so far. However, United States has conducted world’s largest nuclear test. Also underground, in year 1971. “
The nuclear weapons test site in North Korea
On September 3, Seismographs recorded two consecutive quakes on Mount Mantapsan near Punggye-ri test Site.
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With this study, researchers have improved process of analyzing underground nuclear weapons tests according to ir own data. “Earlier studies were mostly based solely on analysis of seismic waves. For first time in this study, we include three-dimensional radar images of shifts on surface, “says Wang.
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They received support from experts from German Geoforschungszentrum (GFZ) in Potsdam. Toger y evaluated high-resolution 3-D radar images produced by a German Earth observation satellite, called TerraSAR-X, from orbit. For first time, y were able to observe smallest differences on Earth’s surface before and after explosion.
The explosion not only shook mountain, it also deformed it: parts of Earth’s surface on mountain shifted horizontally by up to three and a half meters. At anor point earth lowered by about half a metre. This could also explain why seismographs registered two consecutive shocks on day of nuclear test. The first quake with a strength of 6.3 was created by explosion. The second, which was registered about 700 meters south of first one, could refore come from fact that tunnel system under mountain fell partially in moment.
Science should help to assess danger
For a number of years, geologists, Seismologinnen and atmospheric researchers have been trying to accurately document how North Korea’s nuclear program is evolving. After two past tests in year 2016, researchers estimated how large tested bombs had been (Seismological Research letters: Cesca et al., 2017). At that time, seismic events with a strength of between 4.7 and 5.3 had shown that force behind tested warheads had increased significantly since beginning of North Korean nuclear tests.
Nuclear physicists were also able to refute with ir analysis claims by ruler Kim Jong Un: After a test in January two years ago, he had announced that he had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. In Nature magazine, however, researchers explained that explosion was too small (Butler Gibney, 2016). It was probably more of a nuclear bomb.
