Is quicksand real?

Question

And if it is, what should you do if you fall in it?

Answer 1

Not real as a hazard. Tested on Mythbusters TV show in USA. If anything it's a few feet deep. No one ever killed by it, sorry.

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=320

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(season_2)#Killer_Quicksand

And no, the scuba diver in the forest fire is not real, either.

Answer 2

Real Quicksand

Answer 3

Yes, they are real. Quicksand are round shaped sands that when something is over it they move fast. since they are circular, the object above it move to the bottom quuickly, thus quicksand is being named.
If ever you do fall on a quick sand, the best way to do is don't move and wait for somebody to help you out. for as you move you will go further in the bottom and i you find a chance to grab on something stable that will pull you up from the sand. Then pull yourself up and your safe just avoid that area soon.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is quicksand real?
And if it is, what should you do if you fall in it?

Answer 5

Quicksand is a hydrocolloid gel consisting of fine granular matter (such as sand or silt), clay, and salt water. When unperturbed, it often appears to be solid; however, even a minor (less than 1%) change in the stress on the quicksand will cause a sudden decrease in its viscosity. After the initial perturbation - such as a person attempting to walk on it - the water and sand in the quicksand separate and dense regions of sand sediment form; it is because of the formation of these high volume fraction regions that the viscosity of the quicksand seems to suddenly increase. In order to move within the quicksand, a person or object must apply sufficient pressure on the compacted sand to re-introduce enough water to liquefy it. The forces required to do this are quite large: to remove a foot from quicksand at a speed of one centimeter per second would require the same amount of force as "that needed to lift a medium-sized car." [1]

It was commonly believed that the behavior of quicksand was due solely to saturated or supersaturated suspensions of granules in water. Pressure from underground sources of water would separate and suspend the granular particles, reducing the friction between them. As of September, 2005 it has been shown that it is the presence of salt that is largely responsible.[1] The stability of the colloidal quicksand is compromised by the presence of salt; increasing the likelihood of sand flocculation and the formation of the high viscosity regions of sediment responsible for quicksand's "trapping" power.

Quicksand is not as dangerous as depicted in many movies. As quicksand is rarely more than a few feet deep, there is usually little danger of sinking below the surface. Furthermore, even when the quicksand is deep enough, deliberate effort is required to sink below the surface. Quicksand is typically denser than the human body, meaning that a body is much more buoyant in quicksand than in water. Thus, the body will float quite easily in quicksand.

This was demonstrated in an episode of the TV series MythBusters and in an article in Nature. [1] The sand's higher density will gradually push a human body upward, eventually allowing one to paddle toward more solid footing. Typically, the greatest danger of getting stuck in quicksand comes from exposure, starvation, flash flooding, or tidal flooding.

Quicksand can be found inland (on riverbanks, near lakes, or in marshes) or near the coast. It can also form when an earthquake increases groundwater pressure, forcing the water to the surface and causing soil liquefaction.

One region notorious for its quicksands is Morecambe Bay, England. As the bay is very broad and shallow, a person trapped by the quicksand would be exposed to the danger of the returning tide, which can come in quite rapidly.

Answer 6

quicksand
Quicksand and warning sign at a gravel extraction site.
Enlarge
Quicksand and warning sign at a gravel extraction site.

This article is about the geological feature. For other meanings, see Quicksand (disambiguation)

Quicksand is a hydrocolloid gel consisting of fine granular matter (such as sand or silt), clay, and salt water. When unperturbed, it often appears to be solid; however, even a minor (less than 1%) change in the stress on the quicksand will cause a sudden decrease in its viscosity. After the initial perturbation - such as a person attempting to walk on it - the water and sand in the quicksand separate and dense regions of sand sediment form; it is because of the formation of these high volume fraction regions that the viscosity of the quicksand seems to suddenly increase. In order to move within the quicksand, a person or object must apply sufficient pressure on the compacted sand to re-introduce enough water to liquefy it. The forces required to do this are quite large: to remove a foot from quicksand at a speed of one centimeter per second would require the same amount of force as "that needed to lift a medium-sized car." [1]

It was commonly believed that the behavior of quicksand was due solely to saturated or supersaturated suspensions of granules in water. Pressure from underground sources of water would separate and suspend the granular particles, reducing the friction between them. As of September, 2005 it has been shown that it is the presence of salt that is largely responsible.[1] The stability of the colloidal quicksand is compromised by the presence of salt; increasing the likelihood of sand flocculation and the formation of the high viscocity regions of sediment responsible for quicksand's "trapping" power.

Quicksand is not as dangerous as depicted in many movies. As quicksand is rarely more than a few feet deep, there is usually little danger of sinking below the surface. Furthermore, even when the quicksand is deep enough, deliberate effort is required to sink below the surface. Quicksand is typically denser than the human body, meaning that a body is much more buoyant in quicksand than in water. Thus, the body will float quite easily in quicksand.

This was demonstrated in an episode of the TV series MythBusters and in an article in Nature. [1] The sand's higher density will gradually push a human body upward, eventually allowing one to paddle toward more solid footing. Typically, the greatest danger of getting stuck in quicksand comes from exposure, starvation, flash flooding, or tidal flooding.

Quicksand can be found inland (on riverbanks, near lakes, or in marshes) or near the coast. It can also form when an earthquake increases groundwater pressure, forcing the water to the surface and causing soil liquefaction.

One region notorious for its quicksands is Morecambe Bay, England. As the bay is very broad and shallow, a person trapped by the quicksand would be exposed to the danger of the returning tide, which can come in quite rapidly.

Answer 7

Yes its real. Ive never seen it personally, but Ive read that it looks a lot wetter than it usually does on tv where they portay it like a sandbox that you just sink into.

Ive read that you should remain calm and not try to struggle because you will just sink deeper. The next time you are at a book store, go to the humor section and check out this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811825558/sr=8-1/qid=1152581372/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-6607136-1327251?ie=UTF8

I have the book, but cant find it or would post the answer it has in it. I know its under the humor section, but its pretty well written.

Answer 8

Quicksand is very real, and if you do find yourself in it, the best thing is not to move around alot,this only makes you sink faster.

try to reach for something that you can grab and pull yourself out with. remember the more you move the more you sink.

Answer 9

Quicksand is real and if you fall in it call for help as fast as you can!!!!

Answer 10

yes it is a mixture of very fine sand mixed with lots of water

what you sould do if you fall into it is stay still and dont struggle, lay down and you will actually float in it. quicksand is actually not very dangerous, like the old hollywood movies make it out to be.(hollywood movies have it sucking you down)

Answer 11

Dead real, yet most pits are hardly as dangerous as people make them out to be. But, yes, make sure you don't struggle when stuck; but immediately call for help.