Scientists Detect Shocking Increase in Seismic Activity at North Korea Nuclear Test Site
Researchers traced 955 quakes to six nuclear tests that reactivated quiet faults and kept seismicity rising for years, according to Science.
- Researchers discovered that North Korea's nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site reactivated faults beneath Mount Mantap, triggering hundreds of earthquakes that intensified years after the final 2017 detonation.
- Analyzing 17 years of seismic data from 2008 to 2025, Kwang-Hee Kim of Pusan National University identified 1,399 earthquakes at the site, noting the region was tectonically quiet for centuries before the underground explosions began.
- Unlike typical post-explosion patterns where seismic activity fades, seismicity at Mount Mantap persisted and grew, suggesting the massive blasts reactivated ancient 'intraplate' fractures in Earth's crust far from active boundaries.
- University of Chicago assistant professor Sunyoung Park described the findings as 'genuinely surprising,' noting that prolonged intensification of this magnitude is unusual compared to other delayed seismic responses.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that North Korea restored test tunnels by 2025, though researchers found no evidence that further nuclear tests have occurred since the site's final blast in 2017.
21 Articles
21 Articles
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 2025. The study, conducted jointly with researche…
North Korea’s Underground Nuclear Tests Are Reactivating Dormant Earthquake Fault Lines
Scientists recorded 1,399 local quakes since North Korea began its underground nuclear tests—a spike unlike anything the region has seen since seismic activity was first catalogued there.
A 2017 NUCLEAR test continues to shake North Korea as the explosion activated faults, proving the Earth's crust has a long memory.
Studies have shown that the underground nuclear test conducted in Punggye-ri, North Korea in 2017 not only had an impact immediately after the explosion, but also left changes in the surrounding crust and faults over several years. In particular, even after 2017, when the last nuclear test was conducted, seismic activity in nearby areas did not decrease, but rather increased over a long period of time. Researchers such as Pusan University and th…
Scientists detect steep increase in seismic activity at North Korea nuclear test site
By Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — Scientists said they have detected an unexpected and prolonged increase in seismic activity at North Korea’s sprawling Punggye-ri nuclear test site since the country’s final and most powerful test in 2017.North Korea conducted six underground tests between 2006 and 2017 at the site at Mount Mantap in North Hamgyong
Scientists detect shocking increase in seismic activity at North Korea nuclear test site
By Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — Scientists said they have detected an unexpected and prolonged increase in seismic activity at North Korea’s sprawling Punggye-ri nuclear test site since the country’s final and most powerful test in 2017. North Korea conducted six underground tests between 2006 and 2017 at the site at Mount Mantap in North
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