
DPRK SEPT. 2017 UNUSUAL SEISMIC EVENT
CTBTO's monitoring stations picked up an unusual seismic event in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 3 September 2017 at 03:30 (UTC). Over 100 of our stations contributed to the analysis. The characterization of the event is consistent with a man-made explosion. An initial magnitude estimate of 5.8 has now been revised to 6.1. The event was significantly larger than earlier ones recorded by the system and the location estimate shows that the event took place in the area of the DPRK’s nuclear test site.
This explosion can only be classified as nuclear once corresponding airborne radioactivity is detected. Should traces of radioactivity have been released from the event, typically in the form of the radioactive noble gas xenon, they would need to be transported through the atmosphere to one of the radionuclide stations in the region, detected, sampled and analyzed. Results, if any, can be expected within days or weeks.
This page will be updated as more details and information become available. For breaking news please follow us on Twitter @ctbto_alerts
Remarks, Statements and Report
3 Sept. 2017
Statement by the Chairperson
of the CTBTO PrepCom (PDF)
4 Sept. 2017
CTBTO Executive Secretary Zerbo's remarks at the resumed 48th PrepCom session (PDF)
Under-Secretary-General Feltman's remarks to
the Security Council on the nuclear test announced by the DPRK (PDF)
Selected Press clippings
3 Sept. 2017
- CTBTO says North Korea seismic event was in nuclear test site area (Reuters)
- North Korea nuclear test - latest updates (BBC): Segment with CTBTO Executive Secretary
- Lassina Zerbo on Nuclear Explosion by North Korea (Youtube: WION)
- Presidenta de CTBTO condena la prueba nuclear de Corea del Norte (La Vanguardia)
- La Chine prise au piège des provocations de son encombrant allié nord-coréen (Youtube: France24)
- Nordkoreas Atomtest: UN-Behörde prüft Daten weiter (Boerse - DPA)
- ОДВЗЯИ: проведение КНДР ядерных испытаний нарушает международные нормы (Izvestiya)
- 核実験監視のCTBTO 北核実験に懸念 (News24 in Japanese)
4 Sept. 2017
- North Korea's nuclear bomb: Can we work out its power? (BBC)
- Executive Secretary Zerbo live on CNN (CNN)
- Was seismische Signale über den Nukleartest verraten (Neue Zürcher Zeitung)
- CTBTOが緊急会合 各国から北朝鮮への非難相次ぐ (NHK in Japanese )
- Vrstijo Se Obsodbe Režima V Pjongjangu (RTV 4)
6 Sept. 2017