South Korea sees a slim chance that additional North Korean nuclear tests would trigger a volcanic eruption of Mount Paekdu, a North Korean mountain situated close to the country's underground atomic test site, government sources said Wednesday.

Seoul's assessment came amid speculation that North Korea may conduct another nuclear test soon in defiance of stronger U.N. sanctions over the North's latest nuke and missile provocations.

The government has recently held a series of seminars to study the possibility that artificial earthquakes generated by more nuclear tests could trigger a volcanic eruption of Mount Paekdu, the highest peak on the divided peninsula, according to the sources.

The mountain has been dormant since its last eruption in 1903, but some experts warned that it is close enough to possibly be affected by a large seismic event at the North's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri.

The mountain, an active intraplate stratovolcano, is located 116 kilometers away from the nuclear site in the country's northeastern area.

The North conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, followed by the latest one in January.

A team of South Korean experts said last month that underground nuclear explosions with magnitudes of 5.0-7.6 could cause overpressure in the magma chamber of a volcano, thus spurring volcanic activity.

But the government tentatively concluded that there is a low chance that the North's nuclear test could trigger a volcanic eruption at Mount Baekdu.

"For such an eruption, there should be a strong explosion equal to a magnitude 7 quake," said a government source.

It said taking into account the North's technology level, it appears unrealistic that the North's nuke test would generate such a level of explosive power. In January, the North's fourth nuclear test caused an artificial quake with a 4.8 magnitude.

An official at South Korea's weather agency said if the North's nuclear test generates a 7-magnitude artificial quake, it will affect the whole peninsula.

But despite its overall assessment, the government is also checking measures to cope with such a disaster, without totally excluding the possibility that the North's nuke test can affect Mount Paekdu, according to the sources.

The government has studied measures to deal with the possible exodus of North Korean defectors and heavy flooding that can occur at major rivers near the North's border with China if the volcano erupts. (Yonhap)