North Korean Volcano May Erupt At Any Time: Study

Even as North Korea is in the throes of volatile political change, its volcano with a violent past, Mount Paektu, has a threatening face.

The mountain is located hundreds of kilometers west of the Ring of Fire. In this area, there is a collision of many tectonic plates that have created some of the world's monster volcanoes. However, Mount Paektu seems to have turned up in a unique site.

Mount Paektu was the spot where one of the biggest modern eruptions took place. In 946 C.E. there was an eruption that changed the landscape, after which it sobered down.

A number of tiny earthquakes at the volcano between 2002 and 2005 could have been caused by magma material rising up. But today, the volcano seemed to be inactive.

Scientists stationed six broadband seismometers east from Paektu in 2013, enabling them to gather information over two years, even as they examined seismic waves from distant earthquakes rippling through the crust just beneath the volcano.

To understand what goes on under the crust of the earth's surface, scientists can learn from seismic waves. Depending on the speed of their movement, researchers can also explain the material they course through, which shows researchers the composition lying beneath the earth.

Scientists found that alterations in wave energy and form showed softer, and possibly melted rock, confirming that the volcano is active rather than dormant. Still, researchers are not sure whether the material can lead to an eruption or not.

The findings are published in the April 15 issue of the journal Science Advances.