N. Korea blast

[LVCapo]

SEOUL (Reuters) - A huge blast three days ago in North Korea (news - web sites) was unlikely to have been a nuclear weapons test, South Korea (news - web sites)'s unification minister said on Sunday.
According to Yonhap news agency, Chung Dong-young told South Korean reporters after a National Security Council meeting that Seoul's assessment so far was the explosion was unlikely to have been linked to the North's nuclear arms

I'm wondering what non-nuclear device is capable of producing a mushroom cloud over 2 1/2 miles in diameter. Maybe some new kind of really cool firworks, like that one in "Joe Dirt".

[A10Pilot3]

I know a solution... there's a few B-2's in Missouri... load up a MOAB or a nuke...or two...

Japan already launched a few spy satalites and they are supposed to have 8 watch North Korea in the next few years.

[Illuminati]

Capper.... have a link to the story? Thanks.

This could be big news.... scary news. I sure hope we have something that can detect radiation so our gov't knows for itself if it was nuclear or not.

[eric m.]

he pretty much posted the whole story. here is another one that goes into a little more detail.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=6211260

i have to admit, it is pretty suspicious.

[LVCapo]

whats funny is that now everyone is downplaying it "Wasn't a nuke, may be a forest fire (?!)"...uh, okay, forest fires do exhibit a plume, but not one that big or that pops up that fast.
whats scary is our intel agencies, talk about totally inept!!!
I'm a little skeptical of it being a nuke for two reasons. First, china would probably be pissed off at NK for detonating one so close to its border. Second, testing it above ground would only contaminate a large area with radiation...usually not a good thing...might ruin some of that good crop land they have there, which would mean a world shortage of Kim-Chi (YUCK)

[T-Shirt]

Don't think it was a NUKE, the US would know in seconds (satellites are monitoring them for an EMP, I'm sure)
However, This is next to one of their biggest missile bases and it's very possible a large ammo dump or missle fuel storage area had a large accident.
Due to extreme finanial problems many of there systems are failing.
worse case would be if they decided to sell a nuke to raise cash.

[infinitevalence]

Could be a failed test launch of some of the missle designs.

[Apoptosis]

I'm calling it a nuke... no way... this afternoon powell came on and didn't say it wasn't. Other countries are saying the completed their first underground test with success...

[T-Shirt]

first underground test with success...

well sort of.....you shouldn't have a mushroom with a underground test. there were to blasts a couple hours apart and the smoke appeared even later.
The seismic plots don't appear to support a nuke either which have a very specific waveform.
It would be sad, but ironic if the NK nuke programs first and only victims were themselves

[LVCapo]

SEOUL (Reuters) - A huge explosion in North Korea (news - web sites) last week was a deliberate blast to pave the way for a hydro-electric dam, the BBC quoted the North's foreign minister as telling a visiting British official Monday.

...and I have a bridge to sell you to put near that dam!!!

or


Yes, it was a deliberate blast for dam construction, using a 20 Kt thermonuclear device. New SOP in North Korea, we use nukes for all our major construction projects....roads, schools, bridges, dams.......can't figure out why everyone gets sick and crops won't grow though.......

[Wolfgang70]

Is the sky falling yet?

Just checking.