Method of blasting and ammonium nitrate explosive composition

Claim 1

THE IMPROVED METHOD OF BLASTING WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING AN ADMIXTURE COMPRISING OF FROM ABOUT 60 TO 95 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF SOLID PARTICULATE AMMONIUM NITRATE HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF FORM ABOUT 8 TO 100 MESH, FROM 2.5 TO 35 PERCENT OF A SOLID PARTICULATE LIGHT METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTINNG OF MAGNESIUM, MAGNESIUM-BASE ALLOYS, ALUMINUM, ALUMINUM-BASE ALLOYS AND MAGNESIUM-ALUMINUM BINARY ALLOYS, SAID PARTICULATE LIGHT METAL HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF FROM ABOUT 28 TO 100 MESH NOT MORE THAN 1 PERCENT OF THE SAID METAL PARTICLES PASSING A 325 MESH SIEVE, AND FROM ABOUT 3 TO 10 PERCENT OF A PETROLIC LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CRUDE OIL AND LIQUID CRUDE OIL FRACTIONS, SLURRYING SAID ADMIXTURE WITH AN EXCESS OF SAID PETROLIC LIQUID, PUMPING SAID SLURRY INTO A BOREHOLE IN AN EARTH FORMATION, SETTLING SAID ADMIXTURE WHEREBY A DETONABLE COMPOSITION IS FORMED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOREHOLE AND DETONATING THE SAID ADMIXTURE WITH A DETONATOR HAVING INITIATING POWER AT LEAST AS GREAT AS A 1 OUNCE CHARGE OF CYCLOTRIMETHYLENETRINITRAMINE.