According to reporting from the South China Morning Post, North Korea’s latest nuclear test on September 3 effectively destroyed the country’s test site under Mount Mantap in the northwest. The 100-kilotonne bomb, which caused tremors that could be felt as far away as Vladivostok, destroyed portions of the outer structure of the mountain, causing a collapse that opened a 200-meter ‘chimney.’

The resulting damage doesn’t just put the North’s nuclear program on hold; it also threatens to unleash an environmental disaster on the surrounding area should radioactive material escape from the depths of the mountain.

Impact

An environmental catastrophe? The SCMP article collates the accounts of various China-based scientists, whose full findings will be published in an academic journal next month. They broadly agree that the mountain has sustained serious damage, and that it is theoretically possible that radioactive materials might be released as a result.