Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) experiments with composted explosives lagoon soil suggest that recoveries of explosives and metabolites depend more on solvent diffusivity and viscosity than on the solubility of the analytes in the supercritical fluid. Preliminary evidence suggests that SFE recoveries for octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX; a particularly difficult to extract explosive) can equal those for an 18 hr. ultrasonic extraction in acetonitrile. Much work is needed to confirm this observation, particularly to optimize the SFE conditions and improve the reproducibility of the extractions.