North Korea’s sacred volcano set to blow – and crazed leader Kim Jong-un’s nukes could set it off
Nuclear tests could cause a catastrophic volcanic eruption
AN ACTIVE volcano in North Korea could explode sooner than thought as the burning magma melts the mountain - with nearby nuclear tests accelerating the danger.
The risk of Mount Paektu erupting, a possibility which has been monitored by scientists since a series of earthquakes between 2002 and 2005, has increased due to the Earth's crust being melted.
Experts have said the volcano could erupt as the burning magma is literally melting the mountain around it.
But speculation that Kim Jong-un's most recent nuke tests could be making the situation worse has grown.
In a report published in Science Advances, a research group found there had already been a "large region of the (Earth's) crust had already been affected there."
London-based seismologist Dr James Hammond told The Daily Star: "The volcano's definitely got potential. We need to keep an eye on it."
University of Texas' Stephen Grand agreed.
He recently told the National Geographic: "The risk of a destructive eruption here is very real.
"One would need to follow how the current situation changes with time."
RELATED STORIES
A recent paper written by experts from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and published in the Nature journal, said: “An underground nuclear explosion test near an active volcano constitutes a direct threat to the volcano.
“North Korean nuclear explosions are expected to produce pressure changes of tens to hundreds of kilopascals, causing concern over the possible triggering of volcanic eruption.
“A nuclear test will probably exert a direct or indirect impact on volcanic activity at the mountain and this is worrisome.”
The 9000 foot high volcano, which sits on the border between North Korea and China, last erupted more than 100 years ago.
Scientists have warned that one of the volcano's previous eruptions was "one of the largest explosive events in human history."
An eruption in 946 produced nearly 1000 feet thick of pyroclastic - a fast-moving current of hot gas and rock.
North Korea invited Western scientists to monitor Mount Paektu after a series of earthquakes in the early 2000s.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368