Explosive Ordnance Detection in Areas Designated for Mining

Abstract

Nowadays, mining is becoming increasingly valued, as mines of various types provide a large part of the raw materials needed for construction. In order to ensure a continuous supply of extraction and raw materials, new areas need to be identified and opened up. However, some of these new areas may contain security risks such as explosive remnants of war. If we look back to the events of the World War II, there was perhaps no area in Europe that was not affected by the preparation or execution of some act of war. The warring parties deployed a full arsenal of weapons, some of which still pose a threat today. The various types of bombs, mines, projectiles and grenades were only partially operational. Explosive devices that were simply left behind or unexploded were buried beneath the surface, and continue to pose a growing threat to this day (almost eight decades later). The dismantling and disposal of the left-behind and often very poorly recovered explosive devices has been ongoing ever since. The problems of finding explosive devices and munitions tend to occur in areas where there has been no previous investment, construction or earthworks.