Distant photo of the mushroom cloud at the West, Texas fertilizer
plant.
One of the networks said that there were many tons of ammonium nitrate stored there. Maybe 100 tons.
I heard one Texas official on Faux News say it felt like a small atomic bomb went off. In 1947, they had a ammonium nitrate explosion from a ship in Texas city, Texas that leveled a industrial town of 15,000. The explosion flung vehicles through the air.
Distant photo of the mushroom cloud at the West, Texas fertilizer
plant.
"100 tons"? You ain't seen nothing yet!
On 21 September 1921 an explosion in a nitrogenous fertilizer plant near Oppau Germany involving some 4,500 tonnes of ammonium sulphonitrate fertilizer detonated creating a 90meter X 125meter crater, over 20meters deep. The official casualty report listed 561 deaths, 1,952 injured and 7,500 people left homeless. The explosion was heard in Munich, 275km from the plant.
On April 16, 1947, A French vessel the SS Grandcamp loaded with 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate to be turned into fertilizer. Docked at the Port of Texas City it erupted in flames, causing a massive explosion that killed approximately 576 people and flattened 1,000 buildings in the city. All of the city's firefighting equipment was destroyed in the blast and 26 firemen were killed. A second ship at the port, also carrying ammonium nitrate, caught fire in the blast and exploded 16 hours later. With the destruction of the city's fire-fighting equipment in the first blast, Texas City was helpless to contain the damage of the second blast.
It was the worst industrial accident in U.S. history.
Accidents and human stupidity have created a long history of destruction through the improper handling of chemical fertilizers.
Regards,
GtG
PS Ammonium nitrate is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air) and when shipped or stored in bulk tends to clump together into a solid, concrete-like mass. Accepted practice used to be to bore holes and break up the mass using dynamite. Sound like a good idea to you?