N. Korea nuclear tests reactivated dormant faults: study
Repeated nuclear tests at North Korea’s Punggye-ri site appear to have reactivated dormant faults beneath Mount Mantap, triggering more than 1,000 earthquakes in the area, a new study has found. A research team led by Kim Kwang-hee, a professor of geological sciences at Pusan National University, analyzed seismic data collected in South Korea and northeastern China over 17 years, from 2008 to May…
A new study reveals that North Korea's repeated nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site have triggered over 1,000 earthquakes in the surrounding area, according to research led by a professor from Pusan National University. The scientists analyzed seismic data gathered in South Korea and northeastern China from 2008 to May 2025, and published their findings in the international journal Science.
The study discovered that each underground nuclear explosion damaged the shallow crust and altered stress on nearby faults, causing previously dormant fault zones to become active. Prior to North Korea's nuclear testing at Punggye-ri in 2006, no seismic activity had been recorded near Mount Mantap. Between 2006 and the sixth nuclear test in 2017, approximately 60 earthquakes were detected, with seismic activity steadily increasing after the third test in 2013. The most significant changes occurred following the sixth and most recent nuclear test.
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