North Korea Nuclear Test: How Will We Know? What Could Happen?

[xchrom]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120411-north-korea-rocket-test-nuclear-weapon-world-science/?source=hp_dl1_news_north_korea20120412


A North Korean soldier salutes in front of the Unha-3 rocket at Sohae Satellite Station on Sunday.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, AP


North Korea's apparently impending launch of its Unha-3 rocket—officially a satellite-delivery vehicle—has observers warily eyeing the rocket's potential to carry another payload: nuclear weapons.


That possibility is even more troubling due to recent reports that the country may soon conduct a literally earthshaking underground nuclear-weapons test. How might such a test unfold? And what might we expect afterward?


Recent satellite pictures reveal that the regime of Kim Jong Un is preparing for an underground nuclear bomb blast, according to South Korean intelligence officials. The act would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and has been preemptively condemned by several countries including the United States.

The images show the nearly complete construction of a new horizontal tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where previous tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009, according to the intelligence sources, cited by the Associated Press.

[cindyperry2010]

1. I would imagine

and i do not know the exact specifics this is a guess mind you but there are monitoring stations in places that test air and other things for nuclear fall out? Like I say I do not know what things are specifically called but something onthat line

[RKP5637]

2. Yep, they are definitely monitored very closely I would think.

[cindyperry2010]

4. that is what i was

looking for

[longship]

5. You beat me to this

You cannot disguise a nuke detonation. Furthermore, it is exceptionally difficult to hide the nuclear enrichment necessary to even make a nuke. N Korea's previous dabbling in these things is far from certain that they even have solved the all important triggering problem, the initiator, which is probably the closest held tech secret about nukes.

I guess we'll soon find out.