Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Darrel G. While quicksand can occur in almost any location where water is present, there are certain locations where it's more prevalent. Places where quicksand is most likely to occur include:. The next time you're at the beach , notice the difference in the sand as you stand on different parts of the beach that have varying levels of moisture.
If you stand on the driest part of the beach, the sand holds you up just fine. The friction between the sand particles creates a stable surface to stand on.
If you move closer to the water, you'll notice that the sand that is moderately wet is even more tightly packed than the dry sand. A moderate amount of water creates the capillary attraction that allows sand particles to clump together. This is what allows you to build sand castles.
But beach sand could easily become quicksand if enough water were thrust up through it. If an excessive amount of water flows through the sand, it forces the sand particles apart.
This separation of particles causes the ground to loosen, and any mass on the sand will begin to sink through it. In the next section, you will find out how to save yourself if you happen to fall into a pit of quicksand. The more you struggle in quicksand the faster you will sink. If you ever find yourself in a pit of quicksand, don't worry -- it's not going to swallow you whole, and it's not as hard to escape from as you might think.
The human body has a density of The key is to not panic. Most people who drown in quicksand, or any liquid for that matter, are usually those who panic and begin flailing their arms and legs. It may be possible to drown in quicksand if you were to fall in over your head and couldn't get your head back above the surface, although it's rare for quicksand to be that deep. Most likely, if you fall in, you will float to the surface. However, the sand-to-water ratio of quicksand can vary, causing some quicksand to be less buoyant.
The areas of quicksand were small enough that I was able to get out with a bit of wading and squelching. Eventually I got pretty good at recognizing the good patches of sinking sand, and sometimes I would stand in it intentionally.
This is where the shaking caused by an earthquake causes the solid sand layers to behave more like a liquid. This is best seen by buildings partially sunk into the ground after an earthquake. One of the phenomena accompanying this liquefaction is geysers of sand blowing upward as the surrounding sand settles, much like the graphic of an apple disappearing into the sand accompanying this article.
Dry quicksand would require an outflow of gas, such as methane natural gas to unsettle the sand particles enough to behave as a liquid — not just air. I once fell into quicksand as a kid. The ground in question was super saturated and it was at least five feet deep according to the guys who pulled me out. Unlike the movies, I sunk very quickly, barely slower than I would have in water. In about 2 seconds I was chest deep in the stuff and scrabbling at the ground I had just stepped off of trying in vain to pull myself out.
Similar to quicksand,sinkholes in bogs and marshes are much more deadly. These marshes are home to Bake Apples,and of course sinkholes,except these are no run of the mill sinkholes….
Picture that you are on a dirt trail in a bog,and much like quicksand,the top of a sinkhole looks like normal solid ground some are commonly noticeable. You then walk upon some ground,and suddenly you are submersed up to the groins. Unlike quicksand,a sinkhole will suck an object down almost instantaneously depending on how solid the ground is. Of course there are the instances where you can step on the ground without sinking,but with enough effort…you will…almost like playing in the mud.
The big difference here is that in a marsh,the chances are solid ground vs soft is greatly overwhelmed do to a mass amount of water.. Getting out is just as hard as quicksand and can be much more difficult considering that muck is much heavier than sand. During the winter,traveling on a marsh is a brainless endeavour within itself. Although during the spring,summer,and fall seasons,it is safest to walk upon the spongy grass. For example: Once upon a time while playing upon a marsh.
A friend and I were traversing the marsh,during winter by the way. Although we knew the the dangers of a marsh,being kids we had a confidence of being impervious to such dangers.
While running around on ice and snow,I so happened to walk upon a soft spot and all of a sudden I lost my footing. Within a second, my right leg was completely submersed in cold,thick muck.
It just so happened that my left leg was on solid ground…so I fell to the side leaving myself halfway between safety and almost certain death.
Lucky me,my friend was there to reach a hand and helped to pull out my leg. Of course I lost my boot and sock,but was relieved to be free from the clutches of the muck. And just what I was looking for. The villain in my upcoming book was going to use a hidden pit of quicksand as his pulp-tastic method of disposing of the hero, but dry quicksand is so much more effective—and nefarious!
One time I tried to make love to quick sand. I died. Alan Bellows. Classic Morgenstern. My thought exactly! What do you think about it? It that likely to happen? So why are they deadly? Also, there is a pretty major error in the How It Works page for quicksand. Gila Monster. Artax, please! Liked this article! Click Your Poison Books. Thanks, James Schannep. Share This Page. Sorry to interrupt. The harder you pull on a branch or a rescuer pulls on you, the worse it gets!
Quicksand is no joke and self-rescue isn't always possible. If you step into quicksand, you should:. You don't need to visit a riverbank, beach, or desert to explore the properties of quicksand. It's easy to make a homemade simulant using cornstarch and water. Just mix:. If you're brave, you can expand the recipe to fill a kiddie pool.
It's easy to sink into the mixture. It's nearly impossible to suddenly pull free, but slow movements allow time for the fluid to flow! Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.
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