Quicksand, known to people through television, is defined as a phenomenon that happens naturally, and it doesn't have the ability to engulf a person - like television features. In many movies people are totally submerged, sometimes they escape by grabbing branches, vines and others.
This phenomenon occurs when fine sands, detached from each other, receive a certain amount of water, leaving them saturated. The spaces between the sand grains are filled with water, preventing friction between these particles.
Quicksand formation process.
The slimy aspect tends to increase when a person makes sudden movements, so it is necessary to perform slow body movements. In places where there are beaches, drowning can occur if someone is caught in quicksand and the tide rises.
According to Denise Dumouchelle, Geologist at the United States Geological Survey, quicksand does not have its formation determined by a specific type of soil, moreover, she states that this phenomenon does not only occur with sand, but with every form of soil. granulated. What determines its formation is the set of natural conditions, such as the union of water and soil.
Quicksand tends to occur mainly on the banks of rivers, beaches, lakes and mangroves.
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By Eduardo de Freitas
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FREITAS, Eduardo de. "Quicksand"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/areia-movedica.htm. Accessed on June 29, 2021.
