North Korea is pretty enthusiastic about their nuclear missile program, but they might also have reason to worry. Scientists say that there is reason to believe that the mountain where Kim Jung-un tests their missiles is on the verge of collapsing.
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The hermit kingdom tests their missiles under Mount Mantap, a 7,200-foot-high peak, which is just higher than any point on the Appalachian Trail. But, even mountains aren’t invincible; during their last nuclear test, the mountain shifted visibly when the detonation set off a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. The resulting quake even shook houses in China, The Washington Post reports.
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United States military keeps a close watch on Mount Mantap, as excessive movement by North Koreans could indicate that they’re preparing to test a missile. ArmsControlWonk, which is a national security blog, even maps out the tunnels and shows still frames of the mountain shifting.
Seismologists say that the mountain is about fed up with the North Koreans testing bombs underneath of it and may collapse. China has warned their ally that if the mountain were to collapse, it would expel radiation into the air that could lead to generations of North Koreans suffering from poisoning similar the survivors of the initial blast in Hiroshima. There’s also a possibility that the earthquake following another nuclear blast could cause a nearby volcano to erupt, though scientists say that scenario is unlikely.