The detonation was so powerful that geologists initially thought it was a natural magnitude 4.+ quake on the Korean peninsula.

Kim Jong is a master of intrigue and has caused panic in the Far East,Northern Asia and the West. Apparently the test caught most countries offguard. I thought the US/NATO has e.g. geostationary satellites that would be monitoring terrestrial activity around 'rogue' nations? Or maybe they don't because of the risk of them being shot down or infringing on Korean airspace.

US is no longer the dominant military power it once was. What I mean is that they have the muscle but the gap (if any) with the rest of the world is not as huge as it was. They can do very little to stop these guys from moving on to develop nuclear warheads. Read the Western press and all they can do is console themselves that these guys 'do not have the capability' to fit nuclear warheads on a missile. I am sure that is what they said before this 2nd test.

Remember when he shot a rocket that overflew Japan. This guy is a real mchokozi. M7's role model perhaps?

google 'north korea nuclear test '. Twas on Sunday/Monday