Each object, relationship or role in a graph can also be linked to other graphs via explosion structure (Figure 1–6). The explosion structure allows to select one element from the graph and explode that to a new graph. An object (or a relationship or a role) can have a different set of explosions in each graph where it is used. Explosion always happens by first selecting one object, unlike decomposition where several can be selected. Explosion is often used between different graph types.

As with decomposition, explosion structures are also method dependent. An example of a explosion graph can be found from most object-oriented methods, in which an Object or Class in an Object Diagram can be further described in a State Diagram by exploding it into a new graph.