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 reason for the occurrence quicksand traps are earthquakes. After them in the upper layers earth's crust usually small cracks appear that do not fill when there is no mechanical action 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.
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Quicksand is a deadly attraction. The main danger lies in the fact that they are almost impossible to distinguish from ordinary sandy areas. This means that if you are traveling, for example, in the desert, where there is often the same type of landscape without stones and vegetation, then there is a chance at some point just start to fall "under the ground".
Quicksand: what is it
Basically, quicksands are formed in places where underground sources appear or when groundwater approaches the soil. In addition, the condition for their appearance is the presence of sand without clay impurities with a grain diameter of up to 3 mm.
The smallest particles of moisture, mixing with such sand, do not allow air to pass through, and the friction between the grains of sand disappears. As a result, the grains of sand turn into a semi-liquid mass, a swamp, which outwardly is almost impossible to distinguish from an ordinary desert or beach. It is a viscous mass with a huge reaction force.
How to spot quicksand
Visually detecting classic quicksand is difficult - they can lie in wait for a traveler anywhere along the entire path. There is a road that takes more than one day, gradually mindfulness becomes dull, which leads to serious consequences.
Since quicksand is a viscous quagmire, outwardly it looks like a flat surface with small motionless ripples. That is, any flat territory can potentially turn out to be an impassable swamp. It should be noted that sand can dry out on the surface of the bog and sometimes even grass grows on it.
Most often, quicksand can be found along the banks of reservoirs and in the lowlands of hills - where underground sources are likely to come to the surface. To make sure, you need to move slowly, be able to quickly get rid of the backpack and other cargo, as well as feel the road in front of you with a pole or stick.
In a normal, dry state, when pouring from vessel to vessel (let's take an hourglass as an example), sand passes air. But if there is moisture between the grains of sand, the air does not pass, and the sand does not spill out, clogging the passage. This property is the basis for the appearance of a quagmire.
Such a sandy is characterized by a huge counterforce. If a person's leg falls into quicksand, it is necessary to expend the effort of a heavyweight weightlifter to free it, and then, provided that his second leg has a reliable fulcrum and is on a solid surface.
In addition, the impact of a quagmire can be compared to a seat belt - the faster the trapped person moves, the stronger the swamp binds him. This is due to the momentary "solidification" of quicksand due to the appearance of rarefied air under the released foot. The presence of a discharged space leads to the opposite effect - tightening the leg even deeper ("collapse").
Quicksand vs. Man
At its core, quicksand can be attributed to a variety of non-Newtonian fluids with a high content of fine solids (grains of sand). That is why a person, getting into such a place, begins to fall into it, like into water. If at the same time he does not make sudden movements, then the dive will stop when the mass of the displaced sand becomes equal to the mass of a person.
What to do if you get caught in quicksand
There are certain rules of conduct when entering quicksand. Following these rules will allow you to get out of the situation alive.
1. Don't panic! If you start to twitch or make other sudden movements, you will go towards the core of the planet.
2. Fall on your back, flat, preferably on your back - in general, take a horizontal position with your whole body.
3. Try to immediately throw off everything superfluous - a backpack, a tent, etc. Life is more important.
If you start making sudden movements, pits will appear that will continue to suck. After the excitement has calmed down, move slowly, preferably back, in the direction from which you came, since it is not known how far the dangerous sands extend.
Relax your body, imagine that you are lying on your back in the water and relaxing. When moving, the sand should flow gently under the body and on the sides. This process is laborious, but effective. If your lower body does enter the sand vertically, place your torso on the surface and slowly but firmly release your legs.
Interesting and tragic facts about quicksand
Morecambe Bay, England. Known since the 15th century, when it was forbidden to enter the sand at high tide. Annually claimed the lives of up to 150 people. People who fell into quicksand died during a 9-meter high tide that covered them with their heads.
Goodwin Shoals at South Foreland, England. Devour the ships, the remains of which rise above the sands. The place is known as the "Ship Graveyard". One day, the Goodwin Shoals swallowed up the lighthouse tower.
Tarnagen Fjord, Alaska. The coast is about 80 km long and consists of quicksand.
Sable Island, Atlantic. Quicksand swallows entire ships after shipwrecks.
Jamaica, city of Port Royal. Completely drowned in quicksand in 1692. 2000 citizens died. After the earthquake, the soil hardened, so it was initially believed that the city was swallowed up by the “abyss of the sea”.
An example of hitting the quicksand of American paratroopers
You were walking in the desert, thinking, and suddenly found yourself in quicksand, quickly sinking to the bottom. Certain death in the mud? Not really. Quicksand is not even close to being as dangerous as it looks in the movies, although it is quite real. Any sand or silt can temporarily become quick-moving if sufficiently saturated with water and/or subject to vibrations such as during an earthquake. Here's what to do if you're going under.
Steps
Part 1
Freeing the legs- If you can get out of your shoes, do it. Shoes, especially those with flat, rigid soles (such as many types of boots), create a vacuum when you try to pull them out of the quicksand. If you know in advance that there is a high chance of getting into quicksand, take off your shoes and walk either barefoot or in shoes that can be easily removed.
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Move in a horizontal direction. If you feel stuck, take a couple of quick steps back before the quicksand immobilizes you. It usually takes a few minutes for the mixture to become runny, so the best way to get out is not to get stuck in the sand at all.
- If your feet are still stuck, do not take large and abrupt steps in an attempt to free yourself. By taking a big step forward, you will be able to release one foot, but your other foot will sink even deeper, and full release will become extremely difficult.
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Lie on your back. If your legs are sinking very quickly, sit down and lean back. Increasing the contact area should help you free your legs by eliminating the pressure they create and keeping them afloat. When you feel your legs begin to release, roll away from the sands and free yourself from their grip. You will find yourself up to your ears in the mud, but this is the fastest and safe way get out.
Do not hurry. If you're stuck in quicksand, panicking will only hurt your efforts to get out. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow motions prevent agitation of quicksand: Vibrations caused by fast motions can turn relatively hard ground into an extra mass of quicksand.
- More importantly, quicksand can react to your movements in completely unpredictable ways. If you move slowly, it will be easier for you to stop the adverse process and prevent further immersion. You will need to be patient. Depending on how much quicksand is around you, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to slowly and methodically expel it.
Part 2
Climbing out of the deep quicksand-
Relax. Quicksand is never deeper than a meter, but if you hit a particularly deep section, you can sink into the sand up to your waist or up to your chest pretty quickly. Panicked, you can sink even deeper, but if you relax, the buoyancy of your body will not let you drown.
- Breathe deeply. Deep breathing will not only help you stay calm, it will also increase your buoyancy. Fill your lungs with as much air as possible. It is impossible to "go to the bottom" if your lungs are full of air.
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Lie on your back and swim. If you are hip-deep or higher, lean back. The more you distribute your weight over the surface, the harder it will be for you to sink. Swim on your back, slowly and carefully releasing your legs. As soon as you release them, you can begin to carefully move towards the safe area, moving slowly and smoothly back with arm strokes, as if you were swimming. When you get to the edge of quicksand, you can roll onto solid ground.
Use a cane. When in an area with quicksand, walk with a cane. Feeling your ankles begin to sink, place the pole on the surface of the quicksand horizontally behind you. Lie on your back on a pole. After a couple of minutes, you will reach balance on quicksand and stop sinking. Push the pole towards the new position; move it under your hips. The pole will prevent the hips from sinking, so you can slowly release one leg first and then the other.
- Stay on your back with your arms and legs touching the quicksand and use the pole to probe. Move slowly on both sides along the pole until you reach solid ground.
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Take more breaks. Getting out of quicksand, you can get tired from work.
Drop everything. If you step on with a backpack on or with something heavy in your hands, immediately remove your backpack or drop everything you are carrying. Because your body is less dense than quicksand, you won't drown completely unless you panic and try to climb out too violently, or unless you're overburdened with something heavy.
Alaska has very beautiful place- Tarnagen fjord. In 1988, two tourists, the Dixons, decided to ride along the coast at low tide. The car got stuck in the sand. Adreanna Dixon got out of the car and instantly fell into the ground knee-deep.
The husband tried to pull the woman out, but after suffering for several hours, he was unable to free her from the trap. The sand was compressed and held the legs like cement. Dixon called rescuers, but the water was already rising in the fjord - the tide had begun. It was not possible to save the girl who fell into the quicksand - the unfortunate woman drowned.
Quicksand is a moving sandy surface capable of sucking up any object. The suction rate depends on the structure of the sand, the mass and volume of the foreign object and ranges from several minutes to several months.
There are many legends and creepy stories associated with quicksand. Most of them objectively reflect the terrible danger lurking under the surface of the sand, which at first glance seems so harmless.
In 2000, the National Geographic Society of the United States released a film about quicksand, shot in the tradition of Hollywood horror films, after watching which you are unlikely to want to sunbathe even on a well-maintained sandy beach.
Most of the legends of quicksand originated in England on the coasts, where for centuries there were dangerous areas that sucked in a person or animal who carelessly set foot on a treacherous surface.
Here is an excerpt from the novel Moonstone by Wilkie Collins:
“Between two rocks lies the most terrible quicksand on the entire Yorkshire coast. At high and low tide, something happens in their depths, causing the entire surface of the sands to oscillate in the most unusual way ... Secluded and scary place. Not a single boat dares to enter this bay... Even the birds fly away from the quicksand. The tide has begun and scary sand began to shudder. Its brown mass slowly rose, and then it all trembled…”
Back in the 19th century, most of these dangerous places in England was bombarded and destroyed. Currently, there are no quicksands in densely populated areas.
Until now, scientists have not fully understood the nature of this dangerous phenomenon. Some researchers believe that the ability to suck is determined by the special shape of the grains of sand. According to one of the hypotheses put forward by the Russian physicist Vitaly Frolov, the mechanism of action of quicksand is due to electrical effects, as a result of which friction between the grains of sand decreases and the sand becomes fluid.
If the fluidity extends to a depth of several meters, the soil becomes viscous and sucks in any massive body that gets into it. American geologist George Clark from the University of Kansas has been researching for many years unique phenomenon and came to the conclusion that quicksand is ordinary sand mixed with water and having some properties of a liquid medium.
According to Clarke, fluctuation is not a natural phenomenon, but a special state of sand. The latter occurs, for example, on a surface that is periodically flooded by the tide, or if water flows under the sand massif. underground river. Usually quicksands are located in hilly areas, where underground water flows often change direction and can rise to the surface or go deeper.
When the water stream rises, it does not appear outwardly in any way, although the surface of the earth suddenly becomes very dangerous. This happened in England in Arnside in 1999, when, in front of the parents, the sand sucked up to the waist of a four-year-old son.
Fortunately, the rescuers arrived in time, and the tragedy was avoided. Arnside is located near Morcambe Bay, famous for its high tides.
At low tide, the water recedes 11 kilometers, and the sandy bottom of the bay is exposed. Daredevils who dare to step on this sand, which seems to be solid soil, are instantly sucked in. The legs are squeezed by a hardened mass, and it is impossible to pull them out without outside help. If this is not done in time, the person dies under the water of the tide, as happened with Adreanna Dixon.
Not only the beaches flooded by the waters of the tide, but also the banks of some rivers are sometimes fraught with invisible danger.
Sable Island, located in Atlantic Ocean 180 kilometers from the coast of Canada, near which there are many reefs, which is why sea vessels, happened to suffer a disaster there and were thrown ashore. A few months later, the sand sucked the wreckage without a trace. There are a lot of dangerous sandy quicksands in Alaska, the longest of the peninsula's fjords, completely filled with quicksand, stretches for 150 kilometers.
There are also quicksands in the Sahara, one of the most arid and lifeless deserts on the planet. Entire caravans disappear without a trace. The nomads of the Tuareg tribe talk about heartbreaking screams coming from the ground at night. They believe that it is the groaning of the souls of people swallowed up by the greedy belly of the desert.
Recently, Russian scientists made a discovery based on photographs of the earth's surface received from a satellite - a powerful underground river flows under the desert. It is possible that the waters of this stream give some places of the desert the properties of fluctuation.
Quicksand is most commonly found in hilly or tidal areas. Moving from the mountains, the streams of water move through channels carved inside the dolomite and limestone rocks. Somewhere it breaks through a stone and rushes up in a powerful stream.
If a layer of sand is encountered along the way, then the stream of water coming from below can turn it into quicksand. The sun dries the top layer of sand, and a thin hard crust forms on it, on which grass can even grow. The illusion of well-being and tranquility will instantly evaporate, as soon as you step on it, the soil will float from under your feet.
Why do people fall into quicksand? The point is the resulting 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. The force required to lift the leg in such a situation is comparable to the weight of the car. If the sand were dry, then with slow movement, the air that was between the grains of sand would first come to the vacant place, and then the sand itself, crumbling, would fill the gap.
Buried even up to the neck in ordinary sand, a person may well get out of it on his own (anticipating objections, let me remind you that in the White Sun of the Desert the hero was previously bound). In quicksand, a viscosity comparable to thick jelly will not allow this to be done.
The density of quicksand is about 1.6 times that of water, but this does not make it possible to swim in it. Due to the high humidity, the sand is viscous, and any attempt to move in it is met with strong opposition. The slowly flowing sandy mass does not have time to fill the cavity that appears behind the shifted object, and rarefaction, a vacuum, arises in it.
Strength atmospheric pressure seeks to return the object to its original place - it seems that the sand "sucks" its victim. Thus, moving in quicksand is possible, but only extremely slowly and smoothly, since the mixture of water and sand is inertial in relation to fast movements: in response to a sharp movement, it seems to harden.
It is difficult to even approximately estimate the number of victims of the deadly sands, in any case, it exceeds thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands. In 1692, in Jamaica, quicksand swallowed up an entire area of the city of Port Royal, then more than two thousand people died. Port Royal was a very large rich port, where the largest slave market was located.
Since 1674, by appointment of King Charles II of England, the famous pirate Henry Morgan became the mayor of the city. However, the place for the construction of the city was chosen extremely unsuccessfully - Port Royal was located on a 16-kilometer sand spit. Its top layer is still saturated with water, and below is a mixture of gravel, sand and rock fragments.
On June 7, 1692, an earthquake began, and the sand under the city suddenly began to suck in buildings and people. IN historical chronicles preserved descriptions of the tragedy. Some residents of the city instantly fell into the ground, others were sucked up to the knee or to the waist.
After the end of the earthquake, which lasted six minutes, the sand instantly turned into a solid mass, resembling cement, which firmly clamped people in its vise. The unfortunate were suffocating, immured alive in the ground.
Most of them died, unable to get out, their torsos sticking out of the sand were eaten by feral dogs. Back in the 19th century, on the site of the buried city, the remains of the walls of collapsed houses protruded from the sand. But in 1907 there was another earthquake that swallowed up these evidences of the tragedy.
> wilderness survival > coastal quicksand
Why are coastal quicksands dangerous?
Coastal quicksands are found on the shores of lakes, rivers, seas, where rising springs often come across. On top of quicksand, there may be a thin crust of silt formed from a fine fraction of sand. From the point of view of physics, the explanation for quicksand is very simple and depends on the ratio and interaction of sand and water. Sand grains are enveloped in water, and a film forms around them. There is air between the grains of sand, but with an increase in the amount of water, the air is displaced, and a mixture of sand and water is formed, the properties of which differ significantly from the mixture of sand, water and air.
The main condition for the formation of coastal quicksand is a large source of water, which is located at a depth of several meters, and sometimes several tens of meters. Such sources provoke shedding of sand. In most cases, they try to break out with great force, rising as close to the surface as possible and enveloping individual grains of sand with water. Thus, a loose sandy mass impregnated with water is formed, which for some time retains its balance. When any object hits here, the structure collapses, and physical forces try to push back the displaced sand. Suction occurs. Naturally, not any source can become the basis for the formation of quicksand. Only a source that moves in an inclined horizontal direction or almost vertically becomes the culprit in the formation of a coastal "trap".
It is sometimes impossible to determine the location of such sand. From above, it looks quite reliable and there is no doubt that you can move around on this surface. Grass and flowers can grow here, however, if there is a similar sand formation in a rocky area, it is better to bypass it. It is simply impossible to check whether a nearby source of water provoked the appearance of quicksand.
The danger of the coastal sands is perhaps even greater than the danger of the swamp. When you walk through the swamp, you always understand the situation and realize where you are. BUT coastal sand in appearance, it is no different from an ordinary beach, but at the same time it can become deadly.
How to get out of coastal quicksand
Hit and death of people in quicksand, not such a rarity. Why is it so difficult or almost impossible to get out of the whirlpool of sand? The fact is that it is very viscous, so any sudden movements cause even more resistance, despite the fact that the density of quicksand is only one and a half times greater than the density of water. You can get out of the elements only if you move very smoothly, or even better, try to lie on your back or stomach with your legs free, and try to "swim" on the sand in the direction you came from. If you cannot move forward, do not make sudden movements, call for help. Get rid of unnecessary things and clothes as much as possible. If there is a person nearby who can help you, let him not get too close, he will have to give you a rope, stick or other object, for which you will need to cling tightly and climb slowly but surely. Without additional emphasis, it is almost impossible to get out on your own. When you try to pull, for example, a leg, a vacuum is formed and a huge force arises, pulling the leg back. The force that must be applied to lift the leg can reach several hundred kilograms.
