Is life in motion?

Many have heard more than once that in life in no case should you stop. As they say, life is in motion. But is it always so? There is one of the few examples showing that just the state of maximum peace can save a person's life. These are cases of falling into a quagmire or into quicksand. It is necessary to understand in more detail what it is, why they arise and how to get out of them.

If not in life, then in the cinema you have at least once seen how something or someone (a person or an animal) fell into these natural traps. This is actually a very insidious phenomenon of nature. A bog is a swamp that can gradually suck in objects and living creatures that have fallen into it. Why do some swamps simply smear with mud, while others literally "eat" their victims? The point is such a thing as thixotropy. This phenomenon means the property of substances or their mixtures to become more liquid in motion (when exposed to them from the outside) and thicken in a state of rest. Some types of clays and minerals possess such insidious abilities. If they are present in this swamp, then once they get into it, it will be difficult to get out without outside help. A bog is a swamp, often covered with a thick layer of algae, and it may even resemble a lawn.

There is a phenomenon in nature that is even more dangerous than a quagmire. We are more accustomed to hearing such concepts as quarry sand, river sand, construction sand. However, there is another. This is quicksand. Getting out of it is almost impossible. The main reason for the transformation of ordinary sand into quicksand is its excessive saturation with liquid (water) and air. That is why they can "swallow" into themselves what gets into them. When exposed to quicksand (as quicksand is called in another way) of a denser body, the spaces filled with liquid and air begin to decrease. This creates a free space for the fallen victim, which, under its mass, goes deeper and deeper. Such "beaches" tend to dry up from above, creating the appearance of quite ordinary ones. Be careful in places close to large bodies of water with open sandy areas. There may be undercurrents. Another cause of quick traps is earthquakes. After them, small cracks usually appear in the upper layers of the earth's crust, which are not filled when there is no mechanical impact on the surface. When it appears, sand and often what presses on it goes into space.

What to do?

If it so happened that you still found yourself trapped in a bog or quicksand, then you have no choice but to save your life. As mentioned earlier, you need to move as little as possible. If you get into a quagmire, then you need to stop all sorts of jerky floundering. You should try to lie on your back and try to get out with very slow smooth movements and, if possible, call for help. If you happen to be trapped and hit by quicksand, it's best not to move at all here. You should calmly wait for help, since in this case you have much more chances for salvation. At the slightest movement (even with a beating heart!) the insidious grains of sand are activated. It must be said that often sucking substances do not exceed a few meters in depth (and sometimes even less than one). However, in the case of sand, this is hardly able to save. The immersed part of the object (body) is clamped inside like a vise, and it is very difficult to release it on your own. So it’s better not to get into such “trouble” at all and always follow the prohibition signs on the shore.

Terrible is Nature in her wrath. In her arsenal - rivers of boiling lava, giant tsunami waves, devastating earthquakes, bottomless swamps, floods. There is another terrible weapon. These are quicksands, which have long been called "dry swamps".

Quicksand Legends

They scare children and travelers, they are told by old people instead of bedtime stories. Only unlike fictional stories, quicksand is a terrible reality that people living on the coasts most often face. Imagine: a storm, a ship in distress, desperate people. And suddenly, in the distance, the shore is the hope of salvation. With great difficulty, the ship approaches, but the cries of "hurrah" are replaced by exclamations of horror. The ship begins to slowly sink into the coastal sand. People try to save themselves, but, alas, few succeed.

Such cases, although they were not rare, but still almost all were counted. But the number of people who disappeared during walks cannot be counted at all. The sand underfoot suddenly turns into a trap, a person panics, begins to flounder and drowns.

Where are the most dangerous places with quicksand?

This is the Goodwin Shoals on the South Foreland. The second name is "Cemetery of ships". It looks intimidating: the skeletons and sides, randomly scattered along the coast, are covered with sand. Elsewhere, only the tip of the mast can be seen. A gloomy spectacle.

Alaska
This is Tarnagen Fjord.

Jamaica
This is the place where the city of Port Royal once stood, which disappeared in the 17th century. The original version - in 1692 there was an earthquake. The impact of the elements was powerful, the tidal wave destroyed the city, and the sea swallowed it. In 1992, scientists were able to prove that the city really drowned, but not in water. He's another victim of quicksand.

Caribbean Islands

Coast of Canada
In principle, quicksand can be found anywhere there is water, sand, and rocks. That is, the shores of lakes and seas, as well as large rivers, can be considered dangerous. On the outskirts of deserts, you can also fall into a trap arranged by quicksand.

How is quicksand formed?

If you remember school physics lessons, you can easily find the clue to the formation of quicksand. The phenomenon of this phenomenon lies in the ratio of the amount of sand and water, as well as their interaction. What does dry (and therefore safe) sand consist of? From countless grains of sand and air. What happens if you add water here? Water will begin to envelop each grain of sand, and a film will form around it. Since there are tiny dust particles on the sand grains, the cementing process begins, in which they take an active part. This is how a completely new substance is formed - viscous and very viscous.

So, in order for ordinary sand to turn into a quick danger, it needs to be wetted.. A bucket of water will not help, a constant source of water is needed, and the larger it is, the more terrible the danger. In coastal places it is a tidal wave. The rest are underground springs. The depth of the source is different. If the mass of sand is large, then the estimated depth can reach forty meters. Moreover, only such water sources that are practically in a vertical position or slightly inclined are suitable for creating fluctuations. On the surface, everything looks quite harmless: sand, here and there pebbles, a couple of bushes. Without special instruments, it is impossible to determine whether there is water in this place, whether the sand is wet, and what is the extent of the danger.

And the water at this time works, constantly wetting the layers of sand, provokes its shedding. From above, this process is invisible; even specialists cannot determine it. But it is worth getting here any heavy object, and the trap works. Begins the process of suction, pulling deep.

How to check if there is quicksand in this place?

It's better not to. Don't know the area? Walk around the pleasant sand for bare feet. This measure is desirable everywhere and mandatory for those places where the trap has worked at least once. Usually in such areas there is a rescue service and there are warning signs.

Any chance of getting out of the quicksand?

The answer is unequivocal - yes. And now the big BUT. Only those who know what and how to do and will not be at a loss, that is, will be able not to panic, have a chance.

The actions are simple: lie on your back, try to spread your arms and legs, that is, take as much space as possible. If you shrink into a ball, then the weight will press on one place, and the body will begin to sink faster. Usually both legs are the first to fall into the trap, sometimes one gets stuck - this can be considered a real success. Lying on your back, arms outstretched, you need to slowly, without sudden movements, pull out your legs. The process can take up to an hour, but be patient and persevere - your life is worth it. After you free your legs, you need to determine where you came from. There, on that side, is a safe hard surface. Row there, and, in the truest sense of the word. Swim across the sand and best on your back. You can not? Carefully roll over onto your stomach and, pushing off with your arms and legs, “swim”. And remember: any sudden movement - and you will be pulled into the sand.

Quicksand is a unique phenomenon, just like all other inventions of Nature.

Undoubtedly, quicksand is one of the most dangerous places on Earth. Usually the sun dries the top layer of sand, resulting in a thin hard crust on it, on which grass can even grow. But the illusion of reliability will instantly evaporate, as soon as you step on it, the soil will literally float from under your feet. The poor fellows who step on this sand, which seems to be solid ground, are instantly sucked in. The legs are squeezed by a hardened mass, and it is impossible to pull them out without outside help.

Quicksand alone cannot kill a person. Firstly, it will not be able to completely absorb a person, since it is a non-Newtonian fluid. However, if a person is not saved in time, then he can die from a number of other reasons. For example, from dehydration, solar radiation, various living creatures, or die under the water of the tide.

Many theories have been proposed about the quicksand phenomenon. Most of them, of course, turned out to be wrong. However, over time, the situation began to clear up. It turned out that the properties of wet sand significantly depend on the amount of water it contains. Moist sand grains easily stick together, showing a sharp increase in cohesive forces, which in dry sand are due only to surface irregularities and therefore are very small. The surface tension forces of the water films surrounding each grain of sand cause them to stick together. In order for the grains of sand to stick together well, water must cover the particles and their groups with a thin film, while most of the space between them must remain filled with air. If the amount of water in the sand is increased, then as soon as the entire space between the grains of sand is filled with water, the surface tension forces disappear and a mixture of sand and water is obtained, which has completely different properties. Thus, quicksand is the most common sand, under the thickness of which, at a depth of several meters, there is a fairly strong source of water.

Why do people fall into quicksand? It's all about the special structure of the arrangement of grains of sand. A stream of water coming from below whips up a loose pillow of grains of sand, which is in relative equilibrium for some time. The weight of a traveler wandering into such a place brings down the structure. The grains of sand, being redistributed, move along with the body of the victim, additionally, as if sucking the poor fellow into the soil layer. After that, the structure of the sand around the unfortunate person becomes completely different - tightly pressed wet grains of sand form a trap due to the surface tension of the water layer. When you try to pull your leg out, a rarefaction of air is formed, pulling the leg back with great force. To pull the leg out in this situation at a speed of 0.1 m/s, you need to apply a force equal to the force of lifting a medium-sized passenger car. So, when you get into quicksand, it’s better not to make sudden movements, but try to lie on your back and, arms outstretched, wait for help.

Quicksand is a sinister phenomenon found in many horror films. The inconspicuous smooth surface of the sand suddenly begins to tighten the victim who has stepped on it. The more she tries to break free, the stronger the quicksand tightens, eventually swallowing the person with his head. This terrible picture, of course, is more fiction than reality. However, quicksand does exist. Although their depth rarely exceeds several tens of centimeters, they can indeed draw in animals or even humans that have fallen on the surface. Moreover, which coincides with the ideas of films, the sands really tighten the more you try to get out of them.

The nature of quicksand is much simpler than it might seem, and there is no magic in explaining their action. This phenomenon can occur in almost any place where there are necessary factors for this, namely an underground source of water and sand. Quicksand is ordinary sand highly saturated with water to such an extent that the friction between the grains of sand becomes negligible, so that the resulting substance can no longer hold objects on its surface. However, it is important to note that only very fine sand, with a dust-like structure, is suitable. Only he, mixed with water, can create a structure that absorbs matter.

There are several reasons why quicksands form. Firstly, this is the exit of groundwater in the form of springs to the surface of the Earth. If there is a sandy area in this place, then the formation of quicksand is quite possible. Another reason is an earthquake. Water from underground sources can also rise to the surface along the resulting faults. A human cause for the formation of quicksand is also possible. In the event of a break in the water supply or waterlogging of the soil as a result of irrigation, water, mixed with sand, can also create a quick mixture.

If you've managed to find quicksand deep enough to get stuck in, your position is not hopeless anyway. The first thing to do is stop randomly moving your arms and legs, trying to escape from the absorbing mass. Quicksand only absorbs an object when it is moving. The best way to get out is to grab onto nearby bushes or hanging tree branches. You can also lean on a wide and strong support, such as a board. Even if nothing of this was nearby, it is still possible to get out. The main thing is that all movements are smooth. Gradually turning over with your hands, you can “swim” in quicksand. Slowly moving towards the shore, sooner or later you will reach a shallow place that will allow you to get out of the trap.

Walking somewhere in nature, enjoying the charm of flowering plants, listening to birds whistling cheerful songs, you can accidentally be trapped in quicksand. But you should immediately warn that everything is not so scary, as shown in some films of the "horror" genre. Yes, of course, it is better to avoid them, but at the same time, you should not be afraid. There are several consistent rules, the knowledge of which will help to avoid such situations.

What exactly is quicksand? It's really interesting, but not at all peculiar. A mixture of fine-grained material, clay and water (in desert places - a mixture of sand and air). It looks solid, but becomes unstable when pressure is applied to its surface. It is formed when water oversaturates such soil. Ordinary, naturally occurring sand (quarry, mountain, sea) consists of densely packed grains that form a rigid mass (approximately 25 to 30 percent of the space between the grains is filled with water or air). Since many grains of sand are elongated, they can separate, and then the voids will be from 30 to 70 percent of the mass. This mechanism is similar to a house of cards when the space between the cards is significantly larger than the space they occupy. The liquid contributes to the creation of liquefied soil, which is not able to withstand the weight load.

Quicksand can form in stagnant and flowing upward water (as in artesian springs). Water jets directed upwards resist and inhibit soil particles. Saturated precipitation may look quite solid, but a little on its surface initiates liquefaction. This causes the sand to form into a slurry and lose strength. Cushioned water produces quicksand, liquefied sediments, and a spongy, liquid-like soil texture. Objects entering such an environment sink to a level at which their weight is equal to the weight of the displaced mixture (from soil and water). Liquefaction is a special case of the phenomenon under consideration. So, in the event of an earthquake, the pore pressure instantly increases in shallow areas. Wet liquefied soil loses its strength, which leads to the collapse of buildings and other objects located on its surface.

Quicksand forms where natural springs exist, in marshy or wet places, near rivers, on beaches, although they are often not so easy to identify. If you suddenly get into them, they retreat quickly and gently, reacting with an interval of a couple of seconds. They are, that is, at rest they are a solid substance (gel-like form), but the slightest impact on them causes a sharp decrease in viscosity. In deserts, they are also found, but extremely rarely, where placers of sand appear, for example, on dunes. But the decline is limited to a few centimeters, because as soon as the air in the voids between the sand grains is removed (and this happens quickly), they re-compact.