Earthquake strikes N.Korea near nuke test zone

By Around the Web

(Washington Post) A 3.5-magnitude earthquake was detected in northern North Korea on Saturday afternoon, near the nation’s known nuclear test site, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

“This event occurred in the area of the previous North Korean Nuclear tests,” the USGS said on its website. “We cannot conclusively confirm at this time the nature (natural or human-made) of the event.”

The earthquake-monitoring agency in neighboring China said it suspected that the North Korean quake, which occurred at 3:59 p.m. local time, was caused by an explosion, though the magnitude was significantly lower than a previous nuclear test earlier this month. The USGS estimated the depth of Saturday’s quake to be five kilometers (three miles).

But South Korea’s meteorological agency said the incident appeared to be a natural quake.

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