Seismic activity was detected Saturday near the site of North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear site, but it is not known whether a nuclear test caused the development.
«This event occurred in the area of the previous North Korean nuclear tests,» the USGS said. «We cannot conclusively confirm at this time the nature (natural or human-made) of the event.»
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, a watchdog group that works to end nuclear testing worldwide, said there were two seismic events Saturday in North Korea, neither of very large magnitude. The larger one had a 3.4 magnitude, the group’s initial assessment found, which is much smaller than anything declared as a nuclear test in previous years.
The analysis indicated neither one was man-made, meaning they don’t appear to be explosions. The locations are around 50 kilometers away (more than 30 miles) from the site of previous nuclear tests, the group said.
Two South Korean officials at the Korea Meteorological Administration told CNN that their analysis so far suggests Saturday’s seismic activity around the nuclear site was not caused by an explosion or a collapse of the site.
The South Korean weather agency said analysts have detected seismic activity of a 3.2 magnitude about 6 kilometers (more than 3 miles) from the site used for nuclear tests. They believe the activity was the result of a natural earthquake.
«We assess that there is a slim possibility that it was caused by a collapse,» said Park Jong-shin, one of the analysts.
«We are carrying out a further analysis because there are concerns that it might have been a man-made earthquake.»
Park said analysts could not rule out the possibility that a natural earthquake occurred because of a nuclear test.
China’s earthquake administration said it was a magnitude 3.4 earthquake and cited a «suspected explosion.»
War of words
Saturday’s reports of seismic activity come at a time of rising tensions between the United States and North Korea, with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump engaging in an escalating war of words over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
Where are the world’s nuclear weapons?
North Korea’s foreign minister said this week that his country could test a powerful nuclear weapon over the Pacific Ocean in response to President Donald Trump’s threats of military action.
