Bharat Rakshak

UNITED STATES

President Barack Obama said North Korea's nuclear and missile tests were a "matter of grave concern to all nations" and warranted action by the international community.

"North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. North Korea's behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia," Obama said in a statement.

UNITED NATIONS

The U.N. Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the nuclear test, Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency.

JAPAN

The test was unacceptable and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, Japan's top government spokesman said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Japan would seek a new resolution by the council. Kyodo news agency said Japan was also considering tightening its own sanctions on the communist state.

SOUTH KOREA

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers. South Korea's top financial regulator said it would soon hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in financial markets.

CHINA

While China has not commented publicly, the test will anger Beijing , the North's neighbor and long-time benefactor. But China is unlikely to back strong sanctions as part of any new U.N. Security Council resolution, Chinese analysts said. China's leaders will probably be more careful to balance their anger against worries Pyongyang could make six-party nuclear disarmament talks unsalvageable, one Chinese expert said.

RUSSIA

Russia's military said North Korea's nuclear test had a force of about 20 kilotonnes, Itar-Tass quoted a source in Russia's defense ministry as saying. A kilotonne is equivalent to 1,000 tonnes of TNT. An unidentified source in Russia's foreign ministry called for calm and warned against hysteria after the blast.

AUSTRALIA

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the test was provocative. "On the basis that North Korea has conducted a nuclear underground explosion, they deserve and get nothing other than our absolute condemnation, and that condemnation should be echoed around our region and the globe," Smith told parliament.

China Stays Mum On North Korea Missile Antics
Jun 21, 2006

Baljeet wrote:I agree tilak ji. I have no sympathy for "Jhapad=Japan" . Comrade Kim Il Zindabad. He has done India a favor. CTBT, NPT, FCMT and any other "T" is dead.
When a nation destined to become rich and powerful, all kind of events fall in place. If MMS administration has any kind of cajones, Massa-obama's goal of CTBT will go down in flames. Neither Clinton, Nor Bush, Nor Obama had been able to do anything about NOKO.
They have earned the respect of whole lot of nations who secretly despise massaland. Next is Iran.

What a good week for the subcontinent. India's elections are breathtaking in scope and their re-election of the government of Manmohan Singh, one of the world's wisest and most qualified heads of government, is heartening. That he is only the second Indian leader since independence to be re-elected after serving a full term suggests an India that is entering a phase of stable growth that should be appealing to those investing in its future and comforting to those, like the United States, who are increasingly dependent on it as an ally . But the success of this democratic experiment at such scale also sends a powerful message to countries like China who have long argued that such a system cannot work in nations of such scope and complexity.

Also, as to China, the position of U.S. Ambassador to China may be the second most important in the State Department after the Secretary's job. It has taken the Obama administration a long time to make their selection for this vital post. Their choice, Jon Huntsman, is an excellent one. He has almost all the traits needed to be the first envoy to that country since the general acknowledgement that it is our partner in the G2, our first, most important counterpart in the community of nations. He has extensive regional experience (from service as a missionary in Taiwan to that as an Ambassador to Singapore). He has very high-level U.S. and state government experience which not only gives him familiarity with a wide range of issues but also sends a message to the Chinese that only someone of high stature would do for the post. He speaks Chinese. And while some might quibble that he is not particularly close to Clinton and Obama, this is a small issue.

I have met with him a couple of times, once having had the opportunity for a long dinner time conversation with him a number of years ago, and I was struck with his intelligence, accessibility and political gifts. That he is legitimately seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate also will help with the Chinese and sends a message too about Obama's confidence as a chief executive.

SEOUL, South Korea — When North Korea suddenly announced Monday that it had conducted a second nuclear test, the initial view across the region was that this was yet another defiant gambit by Pyongyang to extract more concessions from Washington.

.... But this time around, North Korea’s primary audience may not be the United States but its own population, many experts believe.

Monday’s test culminates a shift toward a more assertive foreign policy by North Korea, which some analysts said seems to have begun not long after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is believed to have suffered a stroke in August.

...In fact, the test could well reflect the succession crisis now gripping North Korea, .....[speculations] has focused on his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, which would continue the family dynasty to the third generation — one unique among Communist nations..
<snip>

A few hours after a short-range ground-to-ground missile was launched from the Musudan-ri launching site, the same site used on April 5 for the launch of a Taepodong 2 missile.

Tehran - Iran said Monday it opposed the nuclear test conducted Monday by North Korea and called for international efforts toward global denuclearization. "Iran basically opposes nuclear weapons and favours international efforts for global denuclearization," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a press conference in Tehran.

"We recommend all countries not to waste the people's national resources on moving toward nuclear proliferation and making weapons of mass destruction," Ahmadinejad said.

ramana wrote:No need to dig six miles for the small yield test.

I had speculated whether it was the primary for a more ambitious program. So this one could be an assembly.

Mort Walker wrote:North Korea Nuclear Test: Another Fizzle?

Yet the preliminary seismic data published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that the test had a seismic magnitude of 4.7, only slightly more powerful than the 4.3 of the 2006 test.

The DPRK apparently told China before its 2006 test that they were aiming for a yield of about 4 KT but they only acheived a yield around ½ KT.

Several seismic observatories all over the world recorded an event that took place in the North East of the country. The U.S. Geological Survey determined the event time as 00:54:43 UTC. The location is close to the first nuclear test. The seismic body wave magnitude of 4.7 is larger as compared to the value of 4.1±0.1 in 2006. According to the assessment of Martin Kalinowski, this corresponds to an explosive yield of about 3 to 8 kilotons TNT equivalent with a most likely yield of 4 kt TNT. In 2006 the yield was unexpectedly low with an estimate of 0.5 to 0.8 kt TNT.

President Obama castigated the North Korean government Monday for conducting a second nuclear bomb test in defiance of multiple international warnings. North Korea's actions "pose a grave threat to the peace and stability of the world," Obama said at the White House. Obama promised that the United States and the international community would strongly respond to the test. He added that North Korea's actions have "flown in the face of United Nations resolutions" and were inviting deeper international isolation for the communist state.

John Snow wrote: Paging Dr. Tim for his Uvacha pleas come in Dr. dont be shy

Muppalla wrote:

John Snow wrote: Paging Dr. Tim for his Uvacha pleas come in Dr. dont be shy

You never leave him.

If the CTBT were in force, an on-site inspection could be dispatched to corroborate the findings and present them to its Member States to pronounce the final verdict.

An on-site-inspection will only be possible after the CTBT has entered into force.

However, the initial seismic findings of today’s event have already homed in on it precisely enough to request an on-site inspection under the Treaty’s rules.

the DPRK, India and Pakistan have not yet signed it.

The event’s magnitude is slightly higher than in 2006, measuring 4.52 on the Richter scale, while in 2006 it was 4.1.

In a statement issued soon after he assumed office on Monday morning, new foreign minister S M Krishna said, "For the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to conduct such a test in violation of its international commitments would be unfortunate. Like others in the international community we are concerned at the adverse effect on peace and security in that region of such tests."

Gerard wrote: the scale is logarithmic.. 2.6 times is not 'slightly higher'

The published magnitudes range from 4.5 to 4.7 to 5.0. They choose a value near the bottom.

Why not 5.0? Or 4.7?

equation used for underground tests is

M = a + b log Y
where a and b are empirically determined constants. You actually have to set off a bomb of known yield (from atmospheric tests etc) to calibrate the site and determine a and b.

for USSR Novaya Zemlya, a=4.45 and b=0.75 giving
M = 4.45 + 0.75 log Y

For M=4.7 this gives a yield Y of 2.2 kt
These constants are actually from the US Amchitka test site, assumed to be close in geology to Novaya Zemlya.

Wallace used a=4.1 and b=0.75 (USSR Semipalatinsk constants assumed by the US) for India.

Some are now using those same values for North Korea. It looks like Korea, India and Kazakhstan all have the same SDRE rocks since they all lie in Asia. TFTA rock in USA must be drastically different.

for Nevada Test Site, a=3.92 and b=0.81 giving
M = 3.92 + 0.81 log Y

Assuming M=4.7
this gives a Y of 9.2 kt

But if you choose M = 5.0, you get Y= 21.5 kt and you get 5.4kt using the Novaya Zemlya constants.

So yields range from 1.1 kt to 21.5 kt depending on the recorded M and 'empirical' constants a and b you decide to use.

These masters of geology and nukular science

At 1.06am today, sensors at the ­British Geological Survey's stations in Devon, Herefordshire and Aberdeen picked up a tremor that registered around magnitude five on the Richter scale.

Yet it was quickly clear this was no earthquake.

"Earthquakes and nuclear bombs have quite different seismographs," said the survey's David Booth. "Earthquakes happen along fault lines and you get compression waves, known as P-waves, and shear waves from the movement. With a bomb it is mostly just compression waves meaning the ­seismograph is a lot less complicated."

Analysts expecttoday's test to have been carried out in a similar way to the previous one, when a horizontal hole was drilled into the side of Mount Mantab.

The CTBTO's initial findings on the DPRK's nuclear test

Gerard wrote:.

The Norks claimed this first test device used 2 kg of Pu. If this 2nd test is full yield 4-6 kt (probably boosted), it could be the primary for a small TN warhead (60 kt?) that would be deliverable by the Nork's stable of ballistic missiles with their small throw weight. Why else aim for a 4kt on the first test?

Do they not teach logarithms in US schools? This is what FAS has come to?

Amber G. wrote:(that's log of amplitude - energy is ^(3/2)

what's a good reference for calibrating yield vs M?

Gerard wrote: Their Nevada range is thus well calibrated.

Amber G. wrote:Gerard - I can probably check my self, and learn a little but quick question... hoping to get a quick answer from you !

Do they not teach logarithms in US schools? This is what FAS has come to?

0.4 diff (4.7-4.3) in logarithm scale (that's log of amplitude - energy is ^(3/2) (from strictly theoratical point of view - of that right?) translates to about *4* times powerful (in terms of energy). Is that right?

(My rough cal - a PDQ first order appox- gives about 1.3*10^14J or 30KT for 5.0 event - same as yours. Also I would guess that 'b' in your formula should be around 2/3 (between 2/3 and 1) but that is pretty simple assumptions onlee.. what's a good reference for calibrating yield vs M?

thanks in advance.

mb = attenuation constant + 0.75(Log of Yield)

or

mb = a + 0.75 Log Y



For this formula, "mb" is measured from the squiggle on the seismograph, and "Y" is the Yield of the nuclear test that the magic formula will reveal after you fill in the value of "a".

Now what the hell is "a"? "a" is a number that is supposed to indicate the amount by which the seismic signal of the explosion has petered out as is gets to you. The value can be anywhere from 3.9 to 4.5
(http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geophysics/f ... e/ind.pak/)

Now that is really really funny, and its called science. If some seismographs indicate a value of 5.2 for mb you apply the magic formula and get a nuclear yield of 53 kilotons if you use a value of "a" as 3.9, and the SAME NUCLEAR EXPLOSION will show a yield of only 8 kilotons if you use the value 4.5 for "a".

Amber G. wrote:Gerard - I can probably check my self, and learn a little but quick question... hoping to get a quick answer from you !

Do they not teach logarithms in US schools? This is what FAS has come to?

0.4 diff (4.7-4.3) in logarithm scale (that's log of amplitude - energy is ^(3/2) (from strictly theoratical point of view - of that right?) translates to about *4* times powerful (in terms of energy). Is that right?

(My rough cal - a PDQ first order appox- gives about 1.3*10^14J or 30KT for 5.0 event - same as yours. Also I would guess that 'b' in your formula should be around 2/3 (between 2/3 and 1) but that is pretty simple assumptions onlee.. what's a good reference for calibrating yield vs M?

thanks in advance.