© Korea Times fileCheonji, the crater lake at the top of Mt. Baekdu.
Mountain Baekdu, a dormant volcano on the border between North Korea and China, is showing signs of a possible eruption in the near future, experts warned Tuesday.
"Baekdu could erupt anytime soon," said geologist Yoon Sung-hyo at Pusan National University, who has monitored the nation's highest mountain (2,744 meters) for any changes. "A variety of indicators are backing this scenario. The thing we should try to predict is when. It's clear it's imminent."
The geologist cautiously raised speculation that an eruption could take place in a couple of years.
According to historical records, Baekdu was an active volcano. Major activity in the 1960s created a caldera on its peak, whose circumference is nearly 14 kilometers with an average depth of 213 meters and maximum of 384 meters.
Volcanic ash from this eruption has been found as far away as the southern part of Hokkaido, Japan, according to records.
Small-scale eruptions were recorded roughly on a centurial basis - in 1413, 1597, 1668 and 1702. The latest volcanic eruption recorded at the 2,744-meter mountain was back in 1903.