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`Mount Baekdu Eruption to Cause Massive Floods in NK`

Posted September. 27, 2010 16:20,   

한국어

A volcanic eruption on Mount Baekdu will cause massive floods not only in North Korea but also in neighboring Chinese territory, a report released Sunday said.

South Korea will suffer no direct damage but will see indirect damage, including cancellations of flights.

Rep. Lee Myung-soo of the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party, who is also a member of the parliamentary public administration and security committee, acquired Sunday a study on the effects of a volcanic eruption on Mount Baekdu for parliamentary inspection of the government from the National Institute for Disaster Prevention.

The report warned that an eruption will spawn massive damage with a Volcanic Exclusivity Index of six.

An index of six is a magnitude 10 to 100 times that of the Iceland volcano in April, which registered a five, causing massive disruption in aviation. A reading of four or higher is considered a massive explosion.

The institute said, "A volcanic eruption on Mount Baekdu will entail floods, earthquakes, the ejection of lava, and the emergence of volcanic gases and volcanic ashes."

"If Lake Cheonji, which measures 12 kilometers in diameter and is 213 meters deep on average, explodes, some 2 billion tons of water in the lake will flood the Yalu and Tumen River basins about an hour later."

The water from the lake is expected to reach the nearby Samjiyeon area one hour and 40 minutes later, and areas 30 kilometers from the mountain three hours and 20 minutes later.

After the flood, toxic gases including sulfur and sulfurous acid gas will be emitted, while volcanic ash will reach as high as 25 kilometers into the sky, the institute forecast.



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