Evaluating the Use of Snow-Covered Ranges to
Estimate the Explosives Residues that
Result from Detonation of Army Munitions
THOMAS F. JENKINS, THOMAS A. RANNEY, MARIANNE E. WALSH,
PAUL H. MIYARES, ALAN D. HEWITT, AND NICHOLAS H. COLLINS
INTRODUCTION
sives at DoD testing and training ranges resulting from
Background
these activities. A major reason for the lack of this infor-
Over the past several years, interest in potential envi-
mation is the difficulty in obtaining reliable data to make
ronmental effects from testing and training activities at
these assessments. Experiments conducted at existing
the Department of Defense's impact ranges has
impact areas must cope with contamination from pre-
increased. An on-going investigation at the Massachu-
vious use of the ranges. In addition, the residues pro-
setts Military Reservation (MMR) has found that the
duced will be spatially heterogeneous because of the
underlying groundwater aquifer may be contaminated
particulate nature of deposition. Very large surface areas
with low concentrations of RDX.* Furthermore,
would have to be sampled to overcome this difficulty.
research conducted at CRREL has demonstrated that
Extensive soil sampling and analysis is operationally
surface soil can be substantially contaminated with the
difficult and often prohibitively expensive.
residues of high explosives resulting from the use of
A previous experiment conducted with 60- and 81-
LAW rockets at antitank firing ranges (Jenkins et al.
mm mortars and a 105-mm howitzer on ice-covered
1997, Jenkins et al. 1998).
terrain revealed the presence of darkened ash (soot)
At MMR, there is a source of RDX contamination
around detonation craters (Collins and Calkins 1995).
within the impact area, but it has not been conclusively
While sampling for residues was not a major objective
identified. Candidates include leakage of explosives
of this work, snow around 81- and 105-mm detonation
from the large amount of unexploded ordnance in the
craters was sampled and analyzed for explosives resi-
subsoil from over a half century of training, buried ord-
dues. No explosives were detected above the method
nance, residues from past disposal practices, or the
detection limit of the RP-HPLC method; however, vis-
accumulated residues from the very large number of
ual inspection of the chromatograms did reveal small
detonations of high explosive munitions over the half
peaks corresponding to RDX.* These observations sug-
century of use. Definitive resolution of these candidate
gested to us using a snow cover to isolate post-blast
sources is highly complex.
residues.
The major products of detonation of high explosives
are typically CO2, CO, H2O, N2, and solid carbon or
Objective
soot (USAMC 1972). However, forensic examination
This study evaluates the use of snow-covered ranges
of post-blast residues reveals trace quantities of intact
for determining the explosives residues produced by
explosives following a detonation (Yinon and Zitrin
detonations of HE-containing mortar rounds. Two scen-
1993). Of particular interest is the prevalence of RDX
arios were tested. In the first, a snow cover was used to
and NG in these residues. No systematic study has iden-
estimate the amount of residues that are deposited on a
tified the extent of contamination with residues of explo-
range when an army munition is fired and detonates on
* Personal communication with J. Clausen, Ogden Environmental,
* Personal communication with M.E. Walsh, CRREL, 1999.
Westford, Massachusetts, 1999.
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