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
Oh boy, I really had to set aside everything I learned as a CivE major to ELI5 this one.
Imagine a swimming pool covered in beach balls. They’re all floating there, and the surface looks solid. Except, it’s not – the beach balls have a weight, which is pushing downwards, while the water is pushing upwards due to buoyancy. Everything is in perfect balance… until you decide to step on it. In that case, since the beach balls and water balance each other, there’s nothing to balance your weight, and so you sink. That’s basically quicksand – sand that has become saturated with water and cannot withstand any external load.
Note that quicksand is not a type of sand, rather a *state* of sand. Given enough water, any sand can become “quick”.
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