# "Man-Made Earthquake" Detected in North Korea **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055 "2013-02-12T03:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/1 "2013-02-12T03:23:07Z")
Breaking News on BBC TV: The US Geological Survey has detected a 4.9 earthquake in North Korea, which is not prone to seismic activity. And the “quake” is near their nuclear-testing site. The Beeb is saying South Korean and US officials are tentatively labeling this as the North having gone ahead and conducted a test. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/2 "2013-02-12T03:26:03Z")
CNN has the top banner, but no details yet. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/3 "2013-02-12T03:35:18Z")
Expert being interviewed on BBC now. Basically he’s saying you can bet the ranch that this was a nuclear test. Also mentioned was the fact that tremors from a natural quake are different from those from a nuclear test, and it will take a very short time for the US to analyze those. China has said before that it would be very displeased with another test. IIRC, they even threatened the North with an aid cutoff. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/4 "2013-02-12T03:38:21Z")
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/5 "2013-02-12T04:15:38Z")
[CNN story](http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/11/world/asia/north-korea-seismic-disturbance/index.html). What does the 1km depth and 4.9 magnitude indicate as to the size of the bomb? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/6 "2013-02-12T05:00:32Z")
Maybe around 10kt? The [2009North Korean test](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_North_Korean_nuclear_test) was measured at 4.52 and estimated yields range from less than 1kt up to 10kt. ---
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/7 "2013-02-12T05:12:40Z")
The Great Leader!!! The Great Leader!!! OMG, hun, wake up!!! It’s the Great Leader!!! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/8 "2013-02-12T05:27:00Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Maybe around 10kt? [Al-Jazeera](http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/02/201321234047642848.html) is quoting South Korea as estimating it to be 6-7 kilotons. > [@](#): > > The apparent nuclear test on Tuesday had an explosive yield of six to seven kilotons or more, South Korea’s defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said citing seismic data. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/9 "2013-02-12T05:35:19Z")
And [this](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-north-korea-seismic-activity-detected-near-nuclear-test-site/2013/02/11/1fcf0e4a-74c9-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html) Washington Post story says 10 kilotons - also supposedly from the South Koreans. > [@](#): > > South Korea’s defense ministry, according to Yonhap, said the initial explosion had given off a 10-kiloton yield, compared with the 12-to-20-kiloton yield of a Hiroshima-type device. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/10 "2013-02-12T16:53:39Z")
Truly too bad it wasn’t a HUGE success and created an earthquake of about 12.8 to pretty much destroy most of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/11 "2013-02-12T17:50:03Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Truly too bad it wasn’t a HUGE success and created an earthquake of about 12.8 to pretty much destroy most of the country. Wikipedia lists the dinosaur killing meteor impact as a 100+ Teraton explosion creating a 12.55 magnitude earthquake, so a 12.8 might be a bit overkill. It is a logarithmic scale after all. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/12 "2013-02-12T18:43:04Z")
Yeah, I was about to say: I’m pretty sure a 12.8 would mess up a whole lot more than just Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/13 "2013-02-12T19:19:23Z")
Reminds me of the Onion article from the last time they tested a nuke: [North Korea Detonates 40 Years of GDP](http://www.theonion.com/articles/n-korea-detonates-40-years-of-gdp,2068/) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/14 "2013-02-12T19:32:25Z")
What’s wrong with the Republicans? Why aren’t they sprinting to the microphones to blame Obama? Why isn’t John McCain snarling and grinning at the same time? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/15 "2013-02-12T22:31:42Z")
I have a suggestion-let the Japanese deal with this. And tell the nitwit in N. Korea: the next test will be met with an “appropriate response”. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/16 "2013-02-12T22:40:59Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Reminds me of the Onion article from the last time they tested a nuke: > > [North Korea Detonates 40 Years of GDP](http://www.theonion.com/articles/n-korea-detonates-40-years-of-gdp,2068/) Another brilliant example of The Onion publishing comedy that’s better news than the news. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/17 "2013-02-13T00:41:52Z")
I think the UN should lay into N. Korea with some more harsh language. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/18 "2013-02-13T03:26:06Z")
Turned on the tube in the middle of the report, but I heard something about Japan claims it’s a smaller bomb and that it’s on purpose, because they need smaller bombs to fit on their rockets. News reports seem always to discuss the ability to strike Los Angeles or anywhere else on the West Coast, but I keep thinking about Hawaii, which is much closer. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/19 "2013-02-13T05:10:37Z")
When I read the thread title, all I could think of was “Somebody better call Doc Savage!” ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055/20 "2013-02-13T08:39:27Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > What’s wrong with the Republicans? Why aren’t they sprinting to the microphones to blame Obama? Why isn’t John McCain snarling and grinning at the same time? Given that the [first North Korean nuclear test](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_North_Korean_nuclear_test) took place during the presidency of George W. Bush, that wouldn’t really make much sense. I mean, they could hardly…Well, I mean, it would be blatantly hypocrit– Yeah, actually, that’s a good question. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-made-earthquake-detected-in-north-korea/650055.md?page=2)