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North Korea's Nuclear Tests May Have Triggered 1,399 Earthquakes
Scientists found many small earthquakes near North Korea’s nuclear test site.
They studied earthquakes recorded between 2008 and 2025.
The site is near Mount Mantap, where six underground nuclear tests were conducted.
The area had been very quiet for a very long time before the tests.
Earthquake activity became much stronger after the biggest test in 2017.
That explosion caused a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and may have damaged the mountain.
Researchers think the blast reopened old cracks and created new ones.
Water entering the cracks may have helped rocks slide and produce more small earthquakes.
A study detected 1,399 earthquakes near Mount Mantap from 2008 to 2025.
North Korea conducted six underground nuclear tests at the site between 2006 and 2017.
Earthquake activity increased sharply after the 2017 test, the largest of the six.
Most recorded earthquakes had magnitudes between 2 and 3 and occurred at shallow depths.
Researchers suspect the blast reactivated faults and created water-filled cracks that enabled rocks to shift.
- Who
- Researchers, including a scientist from Pusan National University, studied seismic activity near North Korea’s nuclear test site.
- What
- A study found 1,399 earthquakes near Mount Mantap and linked their increased activity possibly to North Korea’s nuclear tests.
- Where
- Around Mount Mantap, the site of North Korea’s underground nuclear tests.
- When
- The earthquakes were detected from 2008 to 2025, with activity increasing markedly after the 2017 test.
- Why
- Researchers suspect the 2017 explosion reactivated dormant faults and created water-filled cracks that increased pressure within the rock.
Key facts
- Earthquakes detected
- 1,399 near Mount Mantap between 2008 and 2025
- Nuclear tests
- Six underground tests were conducted between 2006 and 2017
- Largest test
- The 2017 test produced a magnitude 6.3 earthquake
- Typical earthquake strength
- Most subsequent earthquakes measured between magnitudes 2 and 3
- Earthquake depth
- The earthquakes appeared to occur at shallow depths
- Suspected mechanism
- Reactivated faults and water-filled cracks may have allowed rocks to slide
Quotes
Study authors
Researchers who conducted the study of seismic activity near Mount Mantap
“We have more than 2,000 years of historical record in China and Korea. We have one event about 100 kilometers away.”
NDTV
“remained sparse until 2017, when activity increased markedly after the sixth and largest detonation.”
NDTV
Sources
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