Re: Detonation vs. explosion
The Earth is farting!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrate_hydrate
"Clathrates have been found to occur naturally in large quantities. Around 6.4 trillion (i.e. 6.4x10**12) tonnes of methane is trapped in deposits of methane clathrate on the deep ocean floor."
"These natural gas hydrates are seen as a potentially vast energy resource, but an economical extraction method has so far proven elusive."
And they've been detected in space, too. Fascinating stuff. And if they are present in large quantities in permafrost, scary stuff, too. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas.