A great mountain in North Korea may be at jeopardy of collapse due to atomic tests , which could leak radiation into the skirt country including China .
On Sunday , September 3 , North Korea claimed to have conducted its 6th atomic test , a possibletwo - stagehydrogen dud . This was the fifth mental test at the Punggye - ri examination land site in the magnetic north - east of the country , beneath a mountain close to the border with China .
The placement was confirm by the University of Science and Technology of China . Using data point from 112 temblor monitoring center in China , scientists say they were confident the trial had been performed at Punggye - ri . A second tremor eight minutes later on suggested a tunnel or cave used for the test had crack .
" The Earthquake Laboratory of China University of Science and Technology has accurately identified all DPRK ’s nuclear trial run sites since it channel its first tryout in October 2006 , through its gamey - precision positioning system , revealing the geographical web of North Korea ’s Punggye - ri atomic burst infrastructure , " astatementfrom the university read .
talk to theSouth China Morning Post , Wang Naiyan from the China Institute of Atomic Energy said that if the claims were true , there was a peril of a major environmental disaster . Part of the mountain above the site may be at peril of prostration if the tests continue , exposing deadly radiation from underground . This could leak not only over North Korea , but China too .
“ We call it ‘ take the roof off , ’ ” say Naiyan . “ If the mountain collapse and the hole is expose , it will permit out many bad things . ”
A similar idea has been vaunt before . In February last year , we reported on how a nearby vent called Mount Paektu was atrisk of eruptingfrom repeated test . It has prove sign of unrest and the few volcanologists who have visited the web site are worried about the nearby seismic activity .
This tardy tryout is opine to have measured 6.3 in order of magnitude ( M ) , leading some to propose it may not have been as impressive as North Korea claimed . A reliable atomic number 1 turkey trial is thought to bring about an M 7.0 tremor . However , this is still more potent than the last test in September 2016 , which produce an M 5.3 tremor .
It ’s unreadable if North Korea is cognizant of the environmental dangers posed by its examination . Taking precaution for the future , China said it is currently monitoring for radiation leaks , but none have been found so far .
