[TigerLikesRooster]

Mr. Kong must be refering to the information mentioned in the following passage from another news article:

/snip

British nuclear expert, Dr. John Large, pointed out, in his Oct. 10 e-mail to Korean Federation For Environmental Movement, "A nuclear test using a horizontal tunnel was developed by Russia. This design could disrupt P-wave, a seismic wave used to estimate the size and the location of nuclear test."

Dr. Large went on, "If N. Korea did conduct a nuclear test using a horizontal tunnel, we could raise suspicion that Russia helped out N. Korean nuclear test. Russians estimates N. Korea's test yielded 3~10 kilotons. This is a fair size blast for a first test."

/snip

---

In another FR-thread I posted, we had the following image whose lower half contains the schematic diagram of a test tunnel. It is a horizontal tunnel. A freeper GOP_1900AD left the following interesting comment:

If the diagram is correct, then indeed, this was not a standard underground test. Not only was there a cavity but some sort of enclosure within it. What was the enclosure? Note also the zigs and zags of the access tunnel. Might have been intended to result in a resonance which would cancel out the P-waves and help to minimize venting.

---

Is it really possible that Russia helped out either design of nuke or design of their test site? If this design can indeed cancel out some of P-waves and make the blast appear smaller than the actual one, it is one way to explain why the blast produced such a small readout at many seismic stations. On the other hand, we have no report of radioactive isotopes from the blast and satellites still failed to spot a new crater-like depression formed after the underground test. The above scenario cannot address these problems, either.

Anyway, Russia is doggedly claiming that it is indeed the nuclear blast and the World should treat N. Korea as a nuclear power. Why so insistent while many others are not really sure? Especially, the Russian Defense Minister?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[eastforker]

It is called posturing for when the time comes when Iran announces that it has the same technology and when Russia states it will defend Iran.

[ConservativeMind]

Well, if it was done within a mountain, there wouldn't need to be a depression left behind, I would think.

[#1CTYankee]

Yeah, North Korea made a miniature nuke alright, out of bottle rockets and M80's

[conservativecorner]

Which is why President Bush knowing Putin's heart is complete B$. Once KGB always KGB.

[RusIvan]

Anyway, Russia is doggedly claiming that it is indeed the nuclear blast and the World should treat N. Korea as a nuclear power. Why so insistent while many others are not really sure? Especially, the Russian Defense Minister?==

It is just because it was the NK-test of warhead of newest russian ICBM Topol-M which Russia sold to NK in amount 100 devices in order to they resell them to Iran with price $1 bln per device (the nice price isn't it?:).

So the price is right and Russia makes lot of money but you may image that KGB-colonel Putin couldn't directly sell them to Iran fearing to piss off Europe and USA.

So then NK just tested what Russia delivered them. If the explosion wasn't nuclier then it means that Russia deceived NK and Iran and sold then nonnuclier warheads as nuclier which is huge deceipt. Russia losing face before her customers and incoming deals with Hugo Chavez which is about 100 Topol-M more will go under.

Hence to defend russian business, Russian defense minister just compels NK offocials now that the warheads on sold newest ICBMs are nuclier indeed.

---

How is such explanation? I heard that it could be exerpt from the latest article of Anna Politkovskaya:)). So you will read such things in WP tomorrow:)).

[justa-hairyape]

How could the Russians tell the difference between a working nuclear device which was successfully dampened and a failed nuclear device that was not properly dampened ? I don't see how you can do that with remote sensing in the above illustrated example. Russia is either lying or guessing.

[AmericanInTokyo]

DPRK gave China 20 minutes advance heads up on the test.

DPRK gave RUSSIA a full two hours advance notice.

The gap of nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes is clearly not lost on Japanese analysts on TV today.

They clearly see a DPRK-Sino split and a cozying up (to the best extent they can) with the former Soviet Union.

[LibLieSlayer]

NO Gamma burst detected by staellite or aircraft, no radiation detected anywhere in the area... no nuke exploded in n korea.

LLS

[familyop]

"On the other hand, we have no report of radioactive isotopes from the blast and satellites still failed to spot a new crater-like depression formed after the underground test."

...after a test in a horizontal tunnel that was 6,000 feet under ground?

[ukie55]

Russia would be fools if they did. NK would turn right around and use it on them faster than they'd think.

[familyop]

I see the diagram that you posted in comment #1. If that diagram is correct, the arched shape of the mountain might have given enough support to prevent a complete cavein (also preventing cratering). ...depends, in part, on the composition of the substrata. A long, horizontal entrance shaft might also have prevented venting of fallout into the sky (spreading what little residue vented that far along the ground, instead). If gamma detection were attempted long after the shot, it might have failed due to fallout decay. If during the shot, the earth above the initial rays might have prevented detection.

And yes, this is only an attempt at guessing.

[George W. Bush]

Maybe they just didn't have the money to make campaign donations to Xlinton's party during the Nineties the way the Chinese did.

Poor Xlinton, victim of those price-cutting Russkies!

[Thunder90]

Russia/Soviet/Coldwar2 PING!!!

To be added or removed from this list, please FReepmail me...

[GSlob]

Look at the other NK programs like rocketry: while the leader is a deranged baboon, his engineers are perfectly sane and proceed from the simpler to the more complex. Given the fact that their fissionables stockpile is small, they wouldn't be likely to waste the prcious stuff on the advanced experimentation, but stick with what is simpler and easier, but works. Thus as to the nuke design, I'd doubt that their first test would be the one of an advanced model.

[Let's Roll]

Miniature?

Like a "suitcase" nuke?

I keep hearing that these tinpot tyrants don't have the means to deliver their nukes. Don't think ICBMs are really necessary anymore, are they?

[Robe]

Filed for later use

[GodGunsGuts]

It's obvious that Russia want us to believe it's real, and they want to tell us what we should do about it. This thing is so transparent, it's ridiculous.

[GodGunsGuts]

BTW...How motivated do you think the N. Korean army is (let's leave Red China out of this for the moment)? I could see their elite troops being motivated to fight, but I can't see the regular army being motivated to just about anything except defect at the first available opportunity. Just curious to get your assessment on morale.

[SevenofNine]

Care to explain VLADYYY HMMM????