Conducting a Geophysical Prove-Out

In choosing the correct detectors, other particular facts should also be considered. Whereas most ordnance is ferrous, fuses may be nonferrous and are usually buried separately from the projectile bodies and may be in large and dangerous quantities. Some explosives such as dynamite or C-3 and C-4 may not be in metallic containers, thus the nonferrous detonators may be the only clue to their location. Also, some chemical agent containers are nonferrous. Chemical weapon test sites may have the unique problem of arsenic, magnesium, and other metals in the soil. Ranges may have copper and beryllium in the soil. The effects of such contamination or natural soil conditions on the detection equipment should be carefully considered. 

In most cases, burial sites as well as individual UXO should be considered. Those sites will often be in different locations and different instruments can be selected. Some experimental wartime sites are troublesome because the testing or impact areas may have also doubled as ordnance burial sites when the operation was closed. 

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