How does quicksand kill you

If you get stuck in quicksand up to the stomach or chest, then your lungs are surrounded by liquefied sand. And you know how it's really hard to get your legs to move around when they're stuck in quicksand? Imagine that tight grip around your chest. Sounds uncomfortable, doesn't it? This alone won't kill you , but it can worsen your panic as it feels like you're being crushed. If the quicksand is very loose, you might not feel this at all, but if it does happen, it can make you feel like your situation is a lot worse than it really is.

One thing you can do if you're deeply immersed in quicksand is simply to lie back and float. Because we're less dense than the quicksand, we can actually float on its surface and move through it, as long as we do so slowly. You can slowly wiggle your legs to try to create space for water to flow down around them, then take a deep breath and try to let yourself float on the surface.

If you have friends nearby, they can throw you a rope and drag you to safety. If you're alone, floating can be difficult. You can try to paddle to the edge, but if you submerge your hand all the way under the sand, you'll be stuck by that limb as well. And if you paddle too fast, you might work your way downward again. If you can't float and paddle to safety, all you can do is hope that someone finds you.

And if they don't? Well, if you're near the ocean, the tide could come in and drown you. It's a pretty terrifying prospect and it's not exactly a quick death. But assuming you don't get killed by the ocean, how else can quicksand kill you, and will it be any faster? The unfortunate answer is that the other way you can die in quicksand is even slower.

But how truly difficult is this scene to escape? The fact is, if you get stuck in a bed quicksand, there are ways to escape its evil clutches. According to Dutch and French research, quicksand is made of fine sand, clay, and saltwater. Over time, the sand continues to thicken. However, it responds to tiny deviations in force, and it can liquefy quickly under high stress.

If a human is trapped in its clutches and begins to flail around, he or she will start to sink deeper. Officials found nothing. Officials found no evidence of foul play and on July 13, an autopsy ruled his cause of death to be drowning. Escobedo's death was one of to occur across the state in rivers and lakes in When Escobedo was reported missing, there was not "a whole lot of rain" that day, said Trevor Boucher, National Weather Service meteorologist, Tuesday.

In the days before Escobedo's death was when the area was the wettest, he said. The San Antonio River "got as a high as 8. Normally, the river hovers around 5 to 6 feet, he said. If the quicksand is near a river or coastal area, you can still drown the old-fashioned way when the tide comes in, but you won't suffocate with a mouthful of sand or mud. Dry quicksand presents its own special risks. There are reports of people, vehicles, and entire caravans sinking into it and being lost. Whether this has actually occurred is unknown, but modern science considers it possible.

In the movies, escape from quicksand often comes in the form of an outstretched hand, underwater vine, or overhanging branch. The truth is, pulling a person even yourself out of quicksand won't result in freedom. Removing just your foot from quicksand at the rate of 0.

The harder you pull on a branch or a rescuer pulls on you, the worse it gets! Quicksand is no joke and self-rescue isn't always possible. If you step into quicksand, you should:. You don't need to visit a riverbank, beach, or desert to explore the properties of quicksand.

It's easy to make a homemade simulant using cornstarch and water. Just mix:. If you're brave, you can expand the recipe to fill a kiddie pool. It's easy to sink into the mixture. It's nearly impossible to suddenly pull free, but slow movements allow time for the fluid to flow!

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