Radioactive Gases Detected From North Korea's Recent Nuclear Bomb Test
Modeled Xenon Plume CTBTO scientists used a computer model to calculate how much radioactive xenon gas different areas would see after an underground nuclear test in North Korea. This shows the calculated plume for April 8. CTBTO Preparatory CommissionThe gases help confirm it really was a nuclear test. When North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb underground in February, seismic researchers knew right away. The nuclear test shook the ground like a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, and in an area not known for natural quakes. Now, the results are coming in from further tests that seek to learn more about North Korea's nuclear capabilities. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization has picked up radioactive gases at monitoring stations hundreds of miles away from North Korea, the commission announced today. The commission found two radioactive isotopes of xenon, xenon-131m and xenon-133. The gases appeared at a station in Takasaki, Japan, in...