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Ancient Exploding Cannonballs

Posted by michael on from the exothermic dept.

Planetes writes "There is a story on MSNBC about some surprise archaeology. Apparently, cannonballs from shipwrecks are "exploding" (more like heating up and cracking open) when they are exposed to air. At least one reacted so violently it reached several hundred degrees. Talk about a booby trap. I'd never have seen this one coming." Heat from oxidation (that's "rusting", if you haven't taken chemistry) has started many fires in cargo ships carrying iron.

4 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. Great Balls of Fire!! by savage_panda · · Score: 4, Funny

    This information is great to know if ever your stranded on a desert island with a coral reef around it, which has caused some shipwrecks of vintage warships with cannonballs. It would be a way to cook coconuts, a way to heat your hut at night, and start fires without matches, not to mention the other basic uses of a cannonball like lawn bowling and basketball.

  2. definition of ancient? by tps12 · · Score: 2, Funny
    When I read "ancient," I was thinking Greeks, Romans, or Moslems. I was all, "whoa, they had cannon, that's tight." But it looks like they are actually considerably more recent.

    :(

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  3. Cross your legs by hij · · Score: 5, Funny
    The combination of oxygen and sea salt caused rapid oxidation resulting in the balls? ?exploding? open and crumbling into bits.

    This is why I don't like to pull them out into the open air.

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    Believe nothing -- Buddha
  4. Re:Like in KSR's Mars trilogy by ObviousGuy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes. Take your tetanus shots before going.

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