Almost on the heels of the announcement of a test by North Korea, came confirmation of the test through seismic information reported by first South Korea, then the USGS.  

It was clear that something had happened.  It was undoubtedly an explosion -- the location was in an area that was not general active seismically, and the indications were that the depth was too shallow to be anything other than a blast.  However, almost from the start, it was equally clear that something was just not right.  There seemed to be a mismatch between what the North Korean government was reporting, and what instruments on the ground were showing.

After a day of reflection, it seems clear that what happened in North Korea was either a fake, or a failure.  Unfortunately for the world, that doesn't matter.

North Korea is reporting that they have successfully tested a nuclear weapon.

North Korea on Monday claimed it has performed a successful nuclear test, according to that country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

South Korean government officials also said North Korea performed its first nuclear test, the South's Yonhap news agency reported.

The apparent nuclear test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, Yonhap reported, citing defense officials.

They can claim what they like, but from what I've seen, I think North Korea is lying.  Evidence after the jump.