r/EOD • u/curiousengineer601 • 2d ago
General Question Danger from very old WW1 explosives
During WW1 trench warfare the British dug a series of mines under the German trenches, filled them with explosives and detonated them.
There are a number of these mines that failed to explode and are still there today. The Petite Douve Farm Mine Located just across the border from France near the Messines Ridge, this British-laid mine contains 25 tons (50,000 pounds) of ammonal explosives.
While it’s clear they remain dangerous ( a lighting strike in 1955 caused considerable damage when it detonated one of them) I am unable to figure out anything that says these would have degraded over the years.
Ammonal explosives are said to be ‘stable’ but does that mean the explosive power is still 25 tons? Or would it be expected to be much less - say 80% of that?