The Air Force destroyed an “obsolete rocket motor” in a large, early-afternoon detonation on Monday, according to a Hill Air Force Base news release. The blast occurred at the Utah Test and Training Range, which is about 80 miles west of Salt Lake City.
Detonations are typically performed to get rid of obsolete rocket motors in the most efficient way, said Kendahl Johnson, spokesperson for Hill Air Force Base. They are not an irregular occurrence, but today’s detonation was a larger one that may have caused northern Utah residents to feel some vibrations and shaking.
A less noisy way to destroy the motors is by flushing them out with liquid, but that can create dangerous runoff into the surrounding area, Johnson said.
“If there was a better way to do it, we’d be doing it,” Johnson said.
Since 2012, more than 300 rocket motors have been destroyed at the training range, according to the base’s website. Currently, the Utah Test and Training Range is the only site where the Air Force is allowed to destroy the motors through detonation.
These kinds of explosions will continue to occur regularly throughout September on Mondays and Tuesdays, and possibly Wednesdays. While Monday’s blast happened around noon, a specific time has not been scheduled for future detonations because the Air Force relies on good weather conditions when destroying the motors, Johnson said.
