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.
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Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated December 04, Key Takeaways: Quicksand Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid made of sand mixed with water or air.
It changes its viscosity in response to stress or vibration, allowing you to sink, but making it hard to escape. You can only sink into quicksand up to your waist. Really, the only way to drown from the quicksand is to fall into it head first or face first.
But no amount of struggling will send you in over your head. Bonn suggests that it isn't struggling that can get you into trouble, but getting caught in quicksand near the sea, which is generally where quicksand is found. All rights reserved. Floating in Quicksand Quicksand has a density of about 2 grams per milliliter. Difficult to Get Out Of But if quicksand becomes less viscous as you struggle, why is it so difficult to escape?
What to Do When You're Stuck If you do step into quicksand, says study co-author Daniel Bonn, you'll only sink in a little deeper than your waist.
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Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries. The vibration plus the water barrier reduces the friction between the sand particles and causes the sand to behave like a liquid. To understand quicksand, you have to understand the process of liquefaction. When soil liquefies, as with quicksand, it loses strength and behaves like a viscous liquid rather than a solid, according to the Utah Geological Survey.
Liquefaction can cause buildings to sink significantly during earthquakes. 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 worst thing to do is to thrash around in the sand and move your arms and legs through the mixture. You will only succeed in forcing yourself farther down into the liquid sandpit.
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