Actually you can set this stuff on fire and it will just burn with an oily smoke. If you cover it however with anything, like sand or your foot, it will explode and leave quite a large hole in the ground and spread pieces of you over a large piece of landscape.
Lt. George: "Oh, sir, just one thing. If we should happen to tread on a mine, what do we do?"
Capt. Blackadder: "Well, normal procedure, Lieutenant, is to jump 200 feet into the air and scatter yourself over a wide area."