The fact is that even if there were fireworks stored next to the ammonium nitrate and even if the fireworks were set off, the ammonium nitrate would not explode without the presence of an oxidizer, the most common of which is diesel fuel or fuel oil. In fact, the explosive made from ammonium nitrate is called ANFO which is an acronym for ammonium nitrate-fuel oil. Any story that ignores this fact is complete and utter BS. Think Timothy McVeigh - what did he use? Ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer and diesel fuel. He got a pretty impressive blast, but without the diesel fuel, he would have gotten nothing.
"Think Timothy McVeigh - what did he use? Ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer and diesel fuel. He got a pretty impressive blast, but without the diesel fuel, he would have gotten nothing." ~~~~~~~~~~~~
You don't know what you're babbling about. The (7%) diesel fuel in ANFO is primarily there to reduce water absorption by the AN. And -- Ammonium Nitrate is so inherently unstable that (especially when heated) it can detonate with little or no initiation -- and no reducing agent (oil) is required -- because AN is an OXIDIZER, itself...
(Read this physical chemist's FRProfile -- and you'll see I "wrote the [chapter of] the book" on McV's bomb and its effects on the Murrah building.)
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And, Bulwyf, that was no nuke. No thermal flash! And, the reddish orange smoke is the "signature" of decomposing ammonium nitrate. (as I personally observed -- from 2.3 KT of AN -- from my 4th grade classroom on April 16, 1947 -- near Texas City, Texas.
SMH...
TXnMA
