Volcanic Activity on the Korean Peninsula

There are several volcanoes in both North and South Korea.  Among them are Baekdu Mountain (last erupted 1903),  Hallasan (last erupted 1007), and Ulleungdo (last erupted 7350 B.C).  The Ulleungdo stratovolcano has an elevation of 984 m and is located on an island 100 kilometers off the east coast of South Korea.  Its huge explosive eruption spewed ash as far away as Japan.  The Halla shield volcano is 90 kilometers off the southern coast of South Korea and is 400 m wide at the summit.  It formed much of Cheju Island. The volcano that is the focus of much of today's attention, however, is  Mount Baekdu.

Mount Baekdu is shared by two countries.  Two-thirds of the stratovolcano sits in North Korea while the remaining one-third is in Chinese lands.  In 940 A.D. there was a huge eruption, known as a "millennium eruption," that is generally regarded as one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the last 2000 years.  Now, scientists are concerned that the seemingly dormant volcano is showing signs of another eruption that could be of significant proportions and consequences.

According to historical records, there is some volcanic activity on Mount Baekdu every 100 years.  Since the last eruption was in 1903, scientists are closely monitoring its activity, and there are several indicators that an eruption is near.  The height of Mount Baekdu has increased nearly 10 centimeters since 2002 (an expanding magma pool generally precedes an eruption), volcanic gas is being emitted at the mountaintop as well as from the forests below Lake Chonji, and seismic activity is increasing in the area.  In 2010, Jeon Byung-sung, chief of Korea's Meteorological Administration in Seoul stated, "We will come up with a comprehensive countermeasure within this year at national levels and try to arrange international cooperation as well." 

If Mount Baekdu does erupt, the devastation could be far worse -- from 10 to 100 times greater -- than was experienced after the 2010 volcanic event in Iceland.  Iceland's volcano released .11 cubic kilometers of lava.  Lava flows and ashes from the Korean mountain are expected to be of much greater volume.  Ashes could hit neighboring areas and damage agriculture, disrupt industry, and affect air flights. The Korean Peninsula, China, Japan and Russia could be severely impacted and damaged by a major volcanic eruption. And since there are nuclear power plants in the vicinity, there is a possibility of a nuclear catastrophe.

Another threat as a result of the volcanic activity would be severe flooding because of the two billion tons of water in the lake on top of the crater.  It is estimated that everything within a 30 kilometer radius would be affected in just 3 hours and 20 minutes. 

Since 2010, there has been an international effort to understand the activity on the mountain.  Scientists from the UK, the US and North Korea have come together to set up seismometers to record earth tremors beneath the volcano.  Dr. James Hammond from Imperial College London explained, "This project is not about monitoring the volcano or predicting when the eruption will happen, but about understanding what happened during the millennium eruption and also looking at what its state is now, using geophysical techniques.  This will help us understand what is driving the volcano." Professor James Gill from UC Santa Cruz is also studying Mount Baekdu -- on the Chinese side of the volcano. 

North Korea is now beginning to prepare for a possible volcanic eruption.  Radio Free Asia has reported that two evacuation drills were conducted in Ryanggang Province, the Mount Baekdu tourism railroad project has been suspended, and the planned tourism and athletic facility for winter sports has been abandoned.  The North Korean regime is currently in negotiations with China to secure aid in the event of an eruption.

1. Volcano Discovery: Halla Volcano http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/halla.html
2. Volcano Live; Volcanoes of Korea; John Search http://www.volcanolive.com/halla.html
3. SOTT; South Korea Scientists Warn of Volcanic Activity; Joong Ang Daily; June 2010;
http://www.sott.net/article/210691-South-Korea-Scientists-Warn-of-Volcanic-Activity
 4. Wikipedia; list of Volcanoes in Korea; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volcanoes_in_Korea
 5. The Korea Times: National; Mt. Baekdu eruption's impact on NE Asia; May 5, 2012
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/05/370_110226.html
6. BBC News; Volcanic sleeping giant opens N. Korean cooperation; Simon Redfern; September 6, 2013  http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23981001
7. The Chosunilbo; N. Korea "preparing for Eruption of Mt. Baekdu;" February 11, 2011
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/02/11/2011021100978.html