Oops!... He did it again

Anyone eying the live seismology display in the Geoscience Australia Exhibit Hall before lunch might have noticed a little red circle appear in a tectonically quiescent protrusion of the Asian continent. A quick trip to the USGS earthquake page confirms that once again, there was a zero depth seismic event in North Korea. Tired of having the limelight stolen by Pakistan and the Middle East, the petulant pop star of the DPRK has tried lighting his farts again.

This time, he might have gotten more than a fizzle. At magnitude 4.7, this quake explosion had several times the energy of the previous test, which was discussed by the geoblogosphere at the time. Still, it isn’t clear what the purpose is. North Korea is unlikely to develop a booming export industry trading in radioactive dirt. The millions degree temperatures achieved will not burn off the glorious leader’s excess body fat, scour his arteries, or resurrect the brain cells he lost in a stroke. Starving people can’t eat antineutrinos. So really, this looks more like a pathetic attempt at a Madonna cover. The question is, who does he think of when he touches his little pink switch?