Nuclear predicament — Tremors: Utahns, others voice shock

The nuclear test North Korea set off Monday wasn't powerful enough to detect in Utah, but it triggered international shock waves.

Among those expressing horror are downwinder groups of fallout survivors.

The South Korean government said its seismographs detected the test as a magnitude 3.58 to 3.7 temblor. The U.S. Geological Survey pegged it as a "light" jolt of magnitude 4.2. It was centered about 40 miles north of Kimchaek, North Korea, and 55 miles southwest of Chongjin, North Korea.

"We haven't seen anything" on the Utah Seismograph Network, said Relu Burlacu, manager of the network, based at the University of Utah.

Because Utah is more than 5,600 miles from the blast and the shaking was slight, he said, the detonation's signal was "kind of buried in the noise."

"In general, we can see events worldwide in the magnitude range 4.5 (to) 5, easily," he said, but the reported shaking was "quite small for us" to record it.

Another factor, said Walter J. Arabasz, director of the seismograph stations, involves "differences between seismic radiation from a shallow explosive source versus a normal earthquake." Shaking from a deep quake may propagate better through the ground than shaking from a shallow blast.

Regardless of the bomb's size, seismic waves of concern are rumbling through the world.

"Absolutely reprehensible" was the comment by Downwinders United, which identifies itself as a group of downwind victims of nuclear testing who come from seven states.

"The last thing this world needs is another nuclear-armed state, since none of the existing nuclear nations can apparently behave themselves properly" in terms of ridding the world of all such weapons, commented J Truman, a resident of Malad, Idaho, and a member of Downwinders United.

The group is adamantly opposed to nuclear testing by any country. Such a test "can only be viewed for what it is — a nuclear attack against all humanity," he added.

Mary Dickson, a Salt Lake resident, added in the group's press release that these are perilous times. With the test, the international situation becomes increasingly fragile and complex, she said.

"How we respond as a nation and as an international community is exÉtremely critical since it will have major repercussions," she said.

Downwinders United expressed concern that the detonation will be seen as a signal by the United States and others to resume nuclear testing of their own.

"The language that is being used by the international community to condemn North Korea's actions should apply equally to all nations' intention to test," said Dickson, "including our own."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com

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