Who fell into the quicksand. Coastal quicksand. On the English seaside

Alaska has very a nice place- Tarnegen fjord. In 1988, two tourists, the Dixons, decided to take a 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 could not 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 began. It was not possible to save the one who fell into the quicksand - the unfortunate woman drowned.

Quicksand is a mobile sandy surface that can suck in any object. Suction speed depends on the structure of the sand, mass and volume foreign object and ranges from a few minutes to several months.

There are many legends and creepy stories associated with the 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 The USA has released a movie about quicksand, shot in the tradition of Hollywood horror films, after watching which you will hardly want to sunbathe even on a comfortable sandy beach.

Most of the legends about quicksand originated in England on the sea coasts, where for centuries there have been dangerous areas that suck a person or an animal inadvertently stepping onto a treacherous surface.

Here is an excerpt from Wilkie Collins' novel The Moonstone:

“Between the two rocks lies the worst quicksand on the Yorkshire coast. During ebb and flow, something happens in their depths, causing the entire surface of the sands to vibrate in the most unusual way ... scary place... No boat dares to enter this bay ... Even the birds fly away from the quicksand. The tide began, and the terrible sand began to shudder. His brown mass slowly rose, and then all of it trembled ... "

Back in the 19th century most of such a dangerous place in England was filled up 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 suction ability 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 spreads to a depth of several meters, the soil becomes viscous and sucks in any massive body caught in it. The American geologist George Clark from the University of Kansas has been researching this unique phenomenon for many years and came to the conclusion that quicksand is ordinary sand mixed with water and having some properties of a liquid medium.

According to Clarke, rippling is not a natural phenomenon, but a special state of sand. The latter occurs, for example, on a surface periodically flooded by the tide, or if a underground river... Usually, quicksand is located in hilly areas, where underground water flows often change direction and can rise to the surface or go deeper.

When the water flow rises, it does not manifest itself outwardly, although the surface of the earth suddenly becomes very dangerous. This happened in England in Arnside in 1999, when, in front of his parents, the sand sucked a four-year-old son up to the waist.

Fortunately, the rescuers arrived in time, and the tragedy was avoided. Arnside is located near Morkembe 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 ventured to step on this sand, seemingly solid soil, are instantly sucked in. The legs are squeezed by a hardened mass, and it is impossible to pull them out without assistance. If this is not done in time, a person dies under the water of the tide, as happened with Adreanna Dixon.

Not only beaches flooded with tidal waters, but also the banks of some rivers sometimes conceal 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 catastrophe there and were thrown ashore. A few months later, the sand sucked in the wreckage without a trace. There are a lot of dangerous sandy quicksands in Alaska, the longest of the fjords of the peninsula, completely filled with quicksand, stretches for 150 kilometers.

There are quicksands in the Sahara, one of the driest and most lifeless deserts on the planet. Whole caravans disappear without a trace. Nomads of the Tuareg tribe tell of the heartbreaking screams that come from underground at night. They believe that it is the moaning of the souls of people swallowed up by the greedy belly of the desert.

Recently, Russian scientists made a discovery based on satellite photographs of the earth's surface - 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 a ripple.

Quicksand is most commonly found in hilly or tidal environments. Moving from the mountains, the streams of water move along the channels cut through the dolomite and limestone rocks. Somewhere it breaks through a stone and rushes upward in a powerful stream.

If a layer of sand is encountered on the way, then the flow of water coming from below can turn it into quicksand. The sun dries out the top layer of sand, and a thin, hard crust forms on it, on which grass may even have time to 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 does a person fall into quicksand? The point is in the resulting structure of the location of the grains of sand. The 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 who has wandered into such a place brings down the structure.

The grains of sand, redistributing, move along with the body of the victim, in addition, as if sucking the poor fellow into the soil layer. After that, the structure of the sand around the unfortunate becomes completely different - tightly pressed wet sand grains, due to the surface tension of the water layer, form a trap.

When you try to pull the leg out, a vacuum is formed, pulling the leg back with tremendous force. The effort required to lift a leg in such a situation is comparable to the weight of a car. If the sand were dry, then at a slow motion, the air between the grains of sand would first come to the vacant space, and then the sand itself, crumbling, would fill the gap.

A person buried even up to his neck in ordinary sand 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 tied up). In quicksand, viscosity comparable to thick jelly will not allow you to do this.

Density quicksand more than the density of water by about 1.6 times, but this does not make it possible to swim in it. Due to the high humidity, the sand is sticky, and any attempt to move in it is met with strong opposition. The slowly flowing sand mass does not have time to fill the cavity that appears behind the displaced object, and a rarefaction, a vacuum, arises in it.

The force of atmospheric pressure seeks to return the object to its original place - it seems that the sand "sucks" its prey. Thus, moving in quicksand is possible, but only extremely slowly and smoothly, since the mixture of water and sand is inertial with respect to rapid movements: in response to a sharp movement, it seems to solidify.

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 engulfed an entire area of ​​the city of Port Royal, then more than two thousand people died. Port Royal was a very large, wealthy port, where the largest slave market was located.

Since 1674, the famous pirate Henry Morgan has been appointed mayor of the city by the appointment of King Charles II of England. However, the site for the construction of the city was chosen extremely poorly - Port Royal was located on a 16-kilometer sand spit... Its upper layer is still saturated with water, and below it 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. Historical chronicles have preserved descriptions of the tragedy. Some residents of the city instantly sank 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 gripped the people tightly in its grip. The unfortunate ones were suffocating, walled up alive in the ground.

Most died, unable to get out, their torsos sticking out of the sand were devoured 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 another earthquake struck, swallowing up this evidence of the tragedy.

Life on the move?

Many have heard more than once that in life one should never stop. As they say, life is in motion. But is it always like this? There is one of the few examples showing that it is precisely the state of maximum peace that can save a person's life. These are cases of falling into a bog or quicksand. It is necessary to understand in more detail what it is, why they arise and how to get out of them after all.

If not in life, then in the movies you have at least once seen how something or someone (man or animal) fell into these natural traps. This is actually a very insidious natural phenomenon. A bog is a swamp capable of gradually sucking in objects and living creatures that have fallen into it. Why are some swamps simply smeared with mud, while others literally "eat" their victims? The point is such a concept 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 at rest. Some types of clays and minerals have such insidious abilities. If they are present in this swamp, then once having got 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 often accustomed to hearing concepts such as quarry sand, river sand, and construction sand. However, there is another. It's 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" what gets into them. When exposed to quicksand (this is another name for quicksand) of a denser body, the spaces filled with liquid and air begin to decrease. This creates a free space for the victim who has fallen into it, which, under its mass, goes deeper and deeper. Such "beaches" tend to dry out from above, creating the appearance of quite ordinary ones. Be careful in areas close to large bodies of water with open sandy areas. Underwater currents can occur there. Another reason for the occurrence of quicksilver traps is earthquakes. After them, small cracks usually appear in the upper layers of the earth's crust, which do not fill when there is no mechanical impact on the surface. When it appears, sand goes into space and often what presses on it.

What to do?

If it so happens that you still find yourself in captivity in a quagmire or quicksand, then you have no choice but to save your life. As stated earlier, you need to move as little as possible. If you fall into a quagmire, then you need to stop all sorts of abrupt 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 you are caught in quicksand, then it is better not to move here at all. You should calmly wait for help, since in this case you have much more chances of salvation. With the slightest movement (even with a heartbeat!), The insidious grains of sand are activated. It must be said that often sucking substances do not exceed several meters in depth (and sometimes even less than one). However, in the case of sand, this is unlikely to be able to save. The submerged part of the object (body) is clamped inside like a vise, and it is very difficult to release it on its own. So it is better not to get into such "troubles" at all and always follow the prohibition signs on the shore.

You walked in the desert, thoughtful and suddenly found yourself in quicksand, quickly sinking to the bottom. Certain death in the mud? Not really. Quicksand is not even nearly as dangerous as it looks in the movies, although it is quite real. Any sand or silt can temporarily become quivering if sufficiently saturated with water and / or subject to vibrations such as during an earthquake. Here's what to do if you go down.

Steps

Part 1

Reset everything. If you stepped on with your backpack on or with something heavy in your hands, immediately remove your backpack or throw whatever you are carrying. Since your body is less dense than quicksand, you will not drown completely unless you panic and try to climb out too fiercely, or if you are overwhelmed by something heavy.

• If you can get out of your shoes, do it. Shoes, especially those with flat, stiff soles (like many shoe models), create a vacuum when you try to pull them out of the quicksand. If you know in advance that there is a high probability of getting into quicksand, take off your boots and walk either barefoot or in shoes that can be easily removed.

1. Move horizontally. 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 flow, so The best way getting out is not getting bogged down in the sand at all.

   • If your feet are still bogged down, do not take large and abrupt steps in an attempt to free yourself. By taking a big step forward, you can free one foot, but your other foot will sink even deeper, and full release will become extremely difficult.

2. Lie on your back. If your legs are sinking very quickly, sit down and lean back. Increasing your 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 come loose, roll away from the sands and free yourself from their grip. You will find yourself head over heels in mud, but this is the quickest and safest way to get out.

   Do not hurry. If you are stuck in quicksand, panic movements will only hurt your attempts to get out. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow movements prevent quicksand from stirring: vibrations caused by fast movements can turn relatively hard ground into additional quicksand mass.

   • More importantly, quicksand can react completely unpredictably to your movements. If you move slowly, it will be easier for you to stop the unfavorable process and prevent further diving. You will need to be patient. Depending on how much quicksand is around you, it can take a few minutes to several hours to slowly and methodically release it.

   Part 2

   Getting out of deep quicksand

   1. Relax. Quicksand is never deeper than a meter, but if you come across a particularly deep area, then you can quickly dive into the sand up to your waist or chest. If you panic, you can dive deeper, but if you relax, your body's buoyancy will keep you from drowning.

      • Breathe deeply. Deep breathing will not only help you stay calm, it will also increase your buoyancy. Fill as lungs as possible big amount air. You cannot "go to the bottom" if your lungs are full of air.

   2. 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 more difficult it will be for you to drown. Swim on your back, releasing your legs slowly and carefully. Once you release them, you can begin to move gently towards a safe area, slowly and smoothly moving backward with hand strokes, as if you were swimming. When you get to the quicksand boundary, you can roll onto solid ground.

      Use a cane. When in a quicksand area, walk with a cane. When you feel your ankles begin to sink, place the pole on the quicksand, horizontally behind you. Lie on your back on a pole. After a couple of minutes, you will reach balance on the quicksand and stop sinking. Push the pole towards the new position; move it under your hips. The pole will prevent your 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 probing pole. Move slowly on either side along the pole until you reach solid ground.

   3. Take frequent breaks. Getting out of the quicksand can get you tired from work.

The phenomenon of quicksand for most people is associated with terrible pictures of a person being pulled into the depths of the abyss.

Many see mysticism in this, tie the influence of cosmic or otherworldly forces. But how does everything really happen and is quicksand really that dangerous? How are they formed and how not to become a victim of this natural phenomenon?

Physical explanation and types of quicksand

The depth of quicksand can be up to several meters, or it can be as small as a few centimeters. 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.

The grains of sand 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 with water is formed, the properties of which are significantly different from a mixture of sand, water and air.

There are two types of these sands:

1.Wet surface. They are found on the shores of lakes, rivers, seas, where ascending springs are often found. Above may be a thin silt crust formed from a fine fraction of sand.

2. With a dry surface. Found in deserts and rocky areas.

The reason is the water source
A prerequisite for the formation of quicksand is a large source of water, which is located at a depth of several meters, and sometimes even several tens of meters.

These sources also provoke shedding of sand. In most cases, they try to escape 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 remains in equilibrium for some time. When any object gets here, the structure collapses, and physical forces try to return the displaced sand back.

Suction occurs. The question arises: can any source of water cause the appearance of quicksand? Such a source can be one that moves in an inclined horizontal direction or almost vertically.

It is sometimes impossible to determine the location of such sand. From above, it looks quite reliable and there is no doubt whether it is possible to move on such a surface. Grass and flowers can grow here, however, if such a sandy formation is found in a rocky area, it is better to bypass it.

It is simply impossible to check whether a nearby water source provoked the appearance of quicksand.

Is it possible to get out?

Statistics show that quicksand tragedies are very common. 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 opposition, 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 element only if you move very smoothly, or even better, try to lie on your back, freeing your legs, and thus, as it were, swim on the sand. In this case, you can maintain a balance certain time and wait for the arrival of the rescuers.

In response to the harshness, the sand mass seems to harden. Independent attempts to pull out, for example, a leg form a vacuum. A tremendous force arises, pulling the leg back. The force required to lift a leg can be compared to the weight of a car.

In dry sand, everything is different: a person buried even up to his neck can gradually get out of it on his own, since when moving slowly, air first enters the free space, and then grains of sand fill the niche. There is no such air in quicksand, and the suspension is comparable in consistency to jelly, and the slowly moving mass does not have time to fill the emerging cavity, forming a vacuum.

Other causes of occurrence

Quicksand occurs most often not in deserts, as many think, but in rocky areas and in areas of frequent tides. A well-known zone with dangerous tides is the Morkembe Bay, in particular the city of Arnside, located in England. At low tide, the bottom dries quickly and becomes a trap.

The tide rises a dozen meters and covers everything that is in the quicksand zone.

Another reason for the appearance of quicksand can be static charges arising from the mutual friction of sand grains. Since they are all charged with the same name, the grip weakens and the surface becomes unstable. Quicksand is found in Canada, the Caribbean, and England. In Alaska, there is a place where an area of ​​treacherous sands stretches for 80 km, and a special rescue service works not far from here in case someone falls into a nature trap.

Nature is terrible in her anger. In its arsenal - rivers of boiling lava, giant tsunami waves, devastating earthquakes, bottomless swamps, floods. There is another terrible weapon. These are quicksands, which have long been called "dry swamps".

Legends of the quicksand

They scare children and travelers, old people tell them instead of bedtime stories. Unlike fictional stories, quicksand is a terrifying reality most often faced by people living on the coasts. Imagine: a storm, a ship in distress, desperate people. And suddenly in the distance the shore - the hope of salvation. With great difficulty, the ship docks, but the cries of "hurray" are replaced by exclamations of horror. The ship begins to slowly sink into the coastal sand. People are trying to escape, but, alas, few succeed.

Such cases, although they were not rare, nevertheless, almost all were counted. But the number of people who disappeared during walks cannot be counted at all. The sand underfoot suddenly turns into a trap, the person panics, starts floundering and drowns.

Where are the most dangerous quicksand spots?

These are the Goodwin Shoals at South Foreland. The second name is "Ship Graveyard". It looks frightening: the skeletons and sides, chaotically scattered along the coast, are covered with sand. In other places, only the tip of the mast can be seen. A gloomy sight.

Alaska
This is the Tarnegen fjord.

Jamaica
This is the place where the city of Port Royal once stood, which disappeared in the 17th century. The original version is that an earthquake occurred in 1692. The blow of the elements was powerful, the tidal wave destroyed the city, and the sea swallowed it. In 1992, scientists were able to prove that the city really drowned, but not in water. He is another victim of the quicksand.

Caribbean islands

Coast of Canada
Basically, quicksand can be found wherever there is water, sand and rocks. That is, the shores of lakes and seas can be considered dangerous, as well as big rivers... On the outskirts of deserts, you can also fall into a trap set by quicksand.

How does quicksand form?

If you remember school physics lessons, then you can easily find a clue to the formation of quicksand. The phenomenon of this phenomenon lies in the ratio of the amount of sand and water, as well as their interaction. What is dry (and therefore safe) sand made of? From countless grains of sand and air. What happens if you add water here? Water will begin to envelop each grain of sand, and a film will form around it. Since there are tiny dust particles on the grains of sand, the cementing process begins, in which they take an active part. This is how a completely new substance is formed - viscous and very viscous.

So, in order for ordinary sand to turn into a quick-moving danger, it must be wetted... A bucket of water will not help, you need a constant source of water, and the larger it is, the more terrible the danger. In coastal areas, it is a tidal wave. In the rest - underground springs... The depth of the source is different. If the mass of sand is large, then the estimated depth can reach forty meters. Moreover, only such water sources that are almost vertical or slightly tilted are suitable for creating a ripple. On the surface, everything looks quite harmless: sand, pebbles here and there, a couple of bushes. Without special devices, it is impossible to determine whether there is water in this place, whether the sand is wet, and what the extent of the danger is.

And the water at this time works, constantly wetting the layers of sand, provoking its shedding. From above, this process is invisible, even specialists cannot determine it. But it is worth getting here any heavy object, and the trap is triggered. The process of suction begins, pulling inward.

How to check if there is quicksand in this place?

Better not to. Don't know the area? Avoid the sand that is pleasant to bare feet. This measure is desirable everywhere and obligatory for those places where the trap has been triggered at least once. These areas usually have a rescue service and warning signs.

Is there a chance to get out of the quicksand?

The answer is unequivocal - yes. And now a big BUT. There is a chance only for those who know what and how to do and will not get confused, that is, they will be able not to panic.

The actions are simple: lay on your back, tried to spread your arms and legs, that is, took up as much space as possible. If you shrink into a ball, then the weight will press on one place, and the body will begin to sink faster. Usually, both legs fall into the trap first, sometimes one gets stuck - this can be considered real luck. Lying on your back, arms outstretched, you need to slowly, without sudden movements, pull your legs out. The process can take an hour, but be patient and persistent - your life is worth it. After freeing your legs, you need to determine where you came from. There, on that side, is a safe solid surface. Row there, moreover, in literally this word. Swim on the sand and best on your back. You can not? Carefully roll over onto your stomach and, pushing off with your arms and legs, "swim". And remember: any sudden movement - and you will be sucked into the sand.

Quicksand is a unique phenomenon, like all other inventions of Nature.