What could cause adjacent structures to explode if the quantity of explosives exceeds the safe storage limit?

The correct choice highlights the concept of propagation in relation to the behavior of explosives in storage. When the quantity of explosives exceeds the safe storage limit, any accidental initiation can lead to a chain reaction where the explosive materials interact with one another. This process of propagation can cause an explosion that extends beyond the initial site, potentially impacting adjacent structures.

Propagation refers to the transmission of a detonation wave through a medium, in this case, the explosives exceeding safe limits. If one explosive charge detonates, the shockwave and energy release can affect nearby charges, causing them to detonate in succession. This is a critical concern in explosives safety management, as proper storage limits are designed to prevent such cascading failures.

Contamination, detonation, and incineration, while they may relate to explosives in different contexts, do not specifically address the process by which explosions can affect adjacent structures when storage limits are exceeded. Contamination pertains more to external factors that could destabilize explosives, detonation refers to the actual event of an explosive material undergoing a rapid chemical transformation, and incineration is the burning of materials, which is not a typical concern when discussing explosive propagation.