Source NDTV
Repeated underground nuclear detonations carried out by North Korea have fundamentally altered the crust beneath its primary testing facility, triggering 1,399 earthquakes across nearly two decades, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Science.
Jointly conducted by researchers from China and South Korea, the investigation analyzed 17 years of seismic data gathered between 2008 and 2025 around Mount Mantap, home to the secretive Punggye-ri nuclear test site. Between 2006 and 2017, North Korea detonated six underground nuclear weapons at the facility, concluding with a massive blast in September 2017 that registered an explosive yield between 100 and 250 kilotons.
Historical seismic records indicate that the Mount Mantap region had remained geologically quiet for centuries prior to the weapons program. However, rather than producing brief aftershock sequences that swiftly tapered off—the standard expectation following underground blasts—the geological footprint told a radically different story.
Using high-sensitivity detection techniques, scientists discovered that local tremors began accelerating approximately three weeks after the final 2017 thermonuclear test. The activity continued to intensify in both frequency and magnitude through 2025, with shallow quakes growing from minor micro-events to magnitudes exceeding 3.0.
Researchers mapped hundreds of these epicenters directly along two parallel fault systems running north-northwest across a 24-kilometer corridor. The study concluded that cumulative shockwaves from repeated detonations fractured the shallow upper crust and fundamentally altered surrounding stress fields, effectively “waking up” ancient, pre-existing fault lines that were already under tension.
The authors warned that the reactivated fault network could theoretically support an earthquake as strong as magnitude 6.4 if fully triggered at once. Beyond immediate environmental risks, the findings present fresh challenges for global arms-control monitors: long-delayed, nuclear-induced tremors can persist for decades, complicating efforts to distinguish between natural tectonic activity and clandestine weapons testing.
