Washington: The nuclear test carried out by North Korea early on Monday was relatively small, US media claimed amid additional reports that Washington had been informed by China of the impending test shortly before it was carried out.
The power of the blast was equivalent to around 550 tonnes of TNT explosives, reports said quoting a South Korean state geological body.
The US-detonated atom bomb, which destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the Second World War, in comparison, was equivalent to around 12,500 tonnes of TNT, while the Nagasaki bomb was estimated at 22,000 tonnes.
Fox News channel quoted security analysts as saying that from Pyongyang's point of view, the test could be viewed as a disappointment. Experts described the explosion as "more of a sizzle than a bang".
US President George W Bush had been informed of North Korea's plans to test a nuclear weapon shortly before the event, US media reported citing White House sources.
Reports said Pyongyang informed China of the impending test an hour before it was conducted. The government in Beijing contacted the US embassy in the Chinese Capital, who then immediately informed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Bush was then briefed on the situation at around 0200 GMT on Sunday evening by security advisor Stephen Hadley.
However, White House spokesman Tony Snow said it would take some time to gauge how accurate North Korea's own claims regarding the test were.
He condemned North Korea's move as a "provocative act" and called on the UN Security Council "to act immediately".
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