Honestly as a kid I thought that quicksand would be a way bigger problem in life considering how many TV shows and movies I saw that used it.
But basically, what is it, how is it formed, how common is it, that kind of stuff. I live on the US East coast so (to my knowledge) I’ve never encountered it
In: Planetary Science
Quicksand is caused by a phenomenon called “liquefaction”. Liquefaction is a fancy term for when sand is mixed with water AND agitated, it acts more like water than sand.
Think about when you are walking on a beach near the water. The sand (even though it is wet) is solid and you leave some footprints but you can walk across the sand. Think about when you put sand in a bucket and then fill the bucket with water. The sand at the bottom is pretty solid and acts like wet sand.
Now think about when you’re at the beach in the water, the sand at the bottom is still reasonably solid. But if you wiggle your feet around you will sink. You’re sinking because when you agitate the sand in the water you are standing in, the agitated sand acts like water and flows away.
Think about the sand + bucket situation. If you just push your finger down on the sand, it will resist, but if you wiggle your finger it will push deeper in the sand at the bottom of the water.
“Quicksand” occurs in nature when you have a sandy area with an underground spring bubbling up through the sand. The sand is always in a state of agitation because the water bubbling up through the sand, so if you step into it, you can sink.
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