Telltale Gas Confirms Korean Nuclear Test

Unusually high levels of a radioactive noble gas detected in northern Canada are final confirmation that North Korea detonated a nuclear device underground in October 2006, say UN researchers.

The result demonstrates that a UN system to monitor nuclear explosions worldwide is up and running, and able to "sniff" such events from a great distance. Atmospheric levels of an isotope of the noble gas xenon suggest the test was relatively small and carried out underground.

On 3 October 2006, the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced that it was going to conduct a nuclear test.

On 9 October 2006, seismic monitoring stations detected a tremor, and the US Geological Survey determined that it had originated in North Korea, suggesting that the test had been carried out. Unfortunately, seismic data is not able to differentiate between nuclear and other types of explosion, such as those used in mines.

The North Korean government confirmed this, but scientists said they would reserve final judgement regarding the size and nature of the explosion, preferring to defer to seismic data combined with chemical evidence, rather than rely on the government's claims.

The event was internationally met with expressions of concern, and the United Nations Security Council condemned it as a threat to international peace and security. For the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, the event had an additional meaning: it provided a unique opportunity to check the accuracy of a system it is developing to monitor nuclear explosions worldwide.

xenon suggest the test was relatively small and carried out underground.

Translation: It went pop! instead of the BOOM! they intended.

I guess the plans they got from the clintons weren't as good as they had been promised...

Unusually high levels of a radioactive noble gas detected in northern Canada are final confirmation that:

North Korea
South Korea
China
Russia
Japan
OR
Mongolia

detonated a nuclear device underground in October 2006, say UN researchers.

These researchers are aware that winds and the jet stream shift, right?

Over a year AFTER the fact? I find that hard to believe. I believe that NK faked the test by planting two or three hundred tons of conventional explosive along with a dab of "highly enriched uranium" for spice in an abandoned mine tunnel. Then later valved off a bit of xenon from one of their operating reactors to give the UN something to think about. Xenon is produced in a high neutron flux environment which doesn't mean necessarily a bomb (Google "xenon poisoning"). The production of excessive Xe₁₃₅ was first observed when the US started using atomic "piles" to produce plutonium for the bomb project and xenon poisoning was very likely a major contributer in the sequence of events leading to the Chernobyl meltdown.

As to what sort of explosive was used, I am reminded of the blast that destroyed a NK city several years ago (about eight hours before "lil kim" motored thru in his special train). At the time I believe they said a train loaded with fertilizer that had hit some oil tank cars.

I don't think that they ever pulled the technology together to actually make a bomb. They faked it to get more leverage in the six party negotiations.

Regards,
GtG

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