North Korea’s underground chaos: How nuclear tests triggered unusual earthquakes
North Korea’s nuclear testing site continues to trigger new earthquakes (photo: Pexels)
North Korea’s nuclear tests may have awakened tectonic faults beneath one of its testing sites — seismic activity there has continued even after the explosions ended, according to Gizmodo.
The power of ten Hiroshimas
North Korea is reported to have conducted at least six large-scale underground nuclear tests.
The latest and most powerful took place in September 2017 — its explosive yield was estimated at 100 to 250 kilotons of TNT equivalent, at least 10 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
A joint study by Chinese universities and the China Earthquake Administration found that:
- 1,399 local earthquakes were recorded in the testing site area between 2008 and 2025;
- no similar anomalous surge in seismic activity had been observed in the region throughout the history of observations dating back to 1904;
- satellite radar detected significant deformation of the summit of Mount Mantap.
An anomaly compared with Cold War standards: Why is tectonic activity in North Korea not subsiding?
Underground tests conducted during the Cold War in the United States (Nevada) and the USSR (Semipalatinsk) also triggered aftershocks (secondary “stress” affecting the Earth — Ed.), but they lasted only days or weeks and quickly subsided near the epicenter.
In the case of North Korea, seismic activity is not decreasing over time but expanding.
Scientists explain this by suggesting that the powerful explosion activated ancient tectonic faults that continue to shift gradually.
This creates a serious challenge for compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Since underground tremors are occurring almost nine years after the explosion, international monitors are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish natural tectonic earthquakes from secret underground nuclear tests.
