Editing Land mine (section)

==Characteristics and function==
[[File:Panzermine im Schnitt.jpg|thumb|Section of an [[anti-tank mine]]. Note the yellow main charge wrapped around a red [[explosive booster|booster charge]], and the secondary [[fuze]] well on the side of the mine designed for an [[anti-handling device]].]]
[[File:Mine-components.jpg|thumb|Diagram of components]]

A conventional land mine consists of a casing that is mostly filled with the main charge. It has a firing mechanism such as a pressure plate; this triggers a detonator or igniter, which in turn sets off a booster charge. There may be additional firing mechanisms in anti-handling devices.<ref name=FieldManual>{{cite book |chapter=1. Conventional mines |chapter-url=http://library.enlistment.us/field-manuals/series-2/FM20_32/CH1.PDF |title=US Army Field Manual 20–32 – Mine/Countermine Operations |date=September 30, 1992 |publisher=Department of the Army |url=http://www.enlistment.us/field-manuals/fm-20-32-mine-countermine-operations.shtml |access-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-date=June 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620080520/http://enlistment.us/field-manuals/fm-20-32-mine-countermine-operations.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Firing mechanisms and initiating actions===
A land mine can be triggered by a number of things including [[pressure]], movement, sound, [[magnet]]ism and [[oscillation|vibration]].<ref name=FieldManual/> Anti-personnel mines commonly use the pressure of a person's foot as a trigger, but [[tripwire]]s are also frequently employed. Because modern anti-vehicle mines usually employ magnetic triggers, they can detonate even if the victim's tires or tracks do not directly impact it. Advanced mines are able to sense the difference between friendly and enemy types of vehicles by way of a built-in signature catalog (an [[identification friend or foe]] system). This theoretically enables friendly forces to use the mined area while denying the enemy access.

Many mines combine the main trigger with a touch or tilt trigger to prevent enemy engineers from defusing the mine. Land mine designs tend to use as little metal as possible to make searching with a metal detector more difficult; land mines made mostly of plastic have the added advantage of being very inexpensive.

Some types of modern mines are designed to [[self-destruct]], or chemically render themselves inert after a period of weeks or months to reduce the likelihood of civilian casualties at the conflict's end. These self-destruct mechanisms are not absolutely reliable, and most land mines laid historically are not equipped in this manner.

There is a common misconception that a landmine is armed by stepping on it and only triggered by stepping off. This is not the case for almost all types of mine. In virtually all cases the initial pressure trigger detonates the mine, since mines are designed to kill or maim the victim rather than standing still until the mine can be disarmed. This misperception originated with the fictional portrayal of mines, often in movies in which the disarming of a mine is a source of narrative tension.<ref>{{cite news |author=Ju Shardlow and David Ibekwe  |title=Special forces bomb disposal expert rates 10 bomb disposal scenes in movies and TV |url=https://www.insider.com/sas-bomb-disposal-expert-rates-bomb-disposal-scenes-in-movies-2020-9 |publisher=Insider |date=2020-11-11}}</ref>

===Anti-handling devices===
{{Main|Anti-handling device}}
[[File:Landmine anti-handling devices.png|thumb|Examples of anti-handling devices]]
Anti-handling devices detonate the mine if someone attempts to lift, shift or disarm it. The intention is to hinder deminers by discouraging any attempts to clear minefields. There is a degree of overlap between the function of a [[boobytrap]] and an [[anti-handling device]] insofar as some mines have optional [[fuze]] pockets into which standard pull or pressure-release boobytrap firing devices can be screwed. Alternatively, some mines may mimic a standard design, but actually be specifically intended to kill deminers, such as the MC-3 and PMN-3 variants of the PMN mine. Anti-handling devices can be found on both anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines, either as an integral part of their design or as improvised add-ons. For this reason, the standard [[render safe procedure]] for mines is often to destroy them on site without attempting to lift them.

===Smart mines===
{{main article|Smart mine}}
"Smart mines" utilize a number of advanced technologies developed in the late 20th and early 21st century. Most commonly, this includes mechanisms to deactivate or self-destruct the mine after a preset period of time. This is intended to reduce civilian casualties and simplify demining.

Other innovations include "self-healing" minefields, which detect gaps in the field and can direct the mines to rearrange their positions, eliminating the gaps.<ref name="smart mines wired">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2004/04/u-s-bets-on-land-mine-technology/amp |title=U.S. Bets on Land Mine Technology |date=4 April 2004 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729205432/https://www.wired.com/2004/04/u-s-bets-on-land-mine-technology/amp |archive-date=29 July 2022}}</ref>