what is quicksand?

Question

and is it made from real sand?

Answer 1

yep its sand with water under it making it unstable so when u walk on it you sink in

Answer 2

You probably know that there can be springs at the bottom of a pond feeding the pond. If instead of water the pond is filled with a mixture of sand and water and the spring is strong enough to keep the sand suspended, the surface may look solid but if you step on it it will give about as much support as a pond. If you try to lift your leg it will create a suction and grab your leg as though it was alive (quick). Some say that if you go horizontal (rather than vertical) and do not struggle you can float and get out. Don't believe the movie version of quicksand which may use something like oatmeal and water as an actor struggles while walking down a submerged stairway to his 'death.' Scary, right?

Answer 3

Hello,

YES! Quicksand is a very real phenomena, and is extremely dangerous. Quicksand develops when the amount of water within the sand and between the individual sand grains means that the sand can nologer support any loading placed upon it. The sand has reached its maximum saturation.

**Yes! quicksand is made from real sand grains.

The sand becomes in effect liquified, this process is called "Liquifaction" and this is capable of killing not only humans & animals. But when liquifaction takes place entire structures & whole buildings can be swallowed up. In many places in the world where earthquakes happen its NOT the earthquake that kills people but the ground shaking until liquifaction takes place, which can be in a few seconds sadly if the underlying conditions are present.

IR

Answer 4

Quicksand is a hydrocolloid gel consisting of fine granular matter (such as sand or silt), clay, and salt water.

The origin of the name probably does not refer to a quick/speedy effect. Rather, "quick" is used to mean "alive," as in the familiar phrase found in the Apostle's Creed, "the quick and the dead."

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."

Answer 5

Here's the physical description: Quicksand forms when water pressure from an underground water source is high enough to push sand upward toward the ground surface, along with water that maintains gaps between the sand particles. So quicksand is just a mixture of water and regular sand, with enough water in the mixture to keep the sand from packing together like you see on a beach. If you step in quicksand, the water between the sand particles does not provide enough strength to support your weight and the sand, so you sink. But trying to pull your foot out is hard because the sand and water form a vacuum, and the sand is very heavy compared to water, making it difficult to get out of quicksand - just like when you step in thick mud and you boots get stuck or come off.

Answer 6

Quicksand is a hydrocolloid gel consisting of fine granular matter (such as sand or silt), clay, and salt water.

The origin of the name probably does not refer to a quick/speedy effect. Rather, "quick" is used to mean "alive," as in the familiar phrase found in the Apostle's Creed, "the quick and the dead."

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.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 7

quicksand is sand with no solid ground underneath so it keeps sinking

Answer 8

It's a mixture of sand and water. It looks like sand, but will not support any weight. If you fall in, it's difficult to escape because the sand prevents you from swimming.

Answer 9

Sand that becomes liquefied,viscosity takes the place
of firm sand.If you have a tray of sand and place
an object on top it will stand,shake the tray and it will sink.

Answer 10

I suppose it depends how fast the wind is blowing!
Sometimes it gets into the clouds and travels for hundreds of miles before it falls with the rain or snow.
That's why we get different coloured snow.