Surely, throughout your life, you've come across that classic scene: a character from a movie or cartoon is walking, usually running away from a person or an animal, when suddenly, he comes across a puddle of sand shifting.
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Usually in scenes there are two options. Either he is completely swallowed by the puddle, or else he manages to hold on to something and saves himself. But are these scenes possible off-screen? That's what we're going to unravel now.
First of all, you need to know that it is a natural phenomenon that does not occur anywhere. In order for there to be, in fact, quicksand formation, it is necessary to have water. Therefore, it can be found on the banks of rivers, lakes, beaches, underground sources, swamps and mangroves.
Another condition for it to exist is related to the soil. It should be grainy, not necessarily sand, and full of fine, loose particles. This is essential, because for it to form, water must fill the vacant spaces between these particles.
With that, they are saturated, without friction, making it easier for them to move more easily. This binding gives the soil a liquid character. Hence the origin of the name “moveiça”.
The density of quicksand is 2 grams per cubic millimeter. In the human body, the density is half that, that is, 1 gram per cubic millimeter. Because she is heavier than our body, technically, it is only possible for people to sink to the waist, or little more than that.
It's possible. But not in the way the movies and cartoons show. Precisely because the body is less dense than sand, people can float. But that's not to say it's easy to get rid of a quicksand spot.
When faced with situations like this, people end up panicking. Thus, the more they struggle, the more trapped they become.
If you don't have someone around to whom you can ask for help, the person can be trapped for a long time. time, subjected to conditions such as hypothermia, dehydration, sun exposure, animals and other factors external.
Also, if they are close to the sea, they can be victims of drowning if the tide rises while they are trapped.
At these times, no matter how difficult it is, you have to remain calm. People who get trapped in this environment should never be pulled out. Due to the high viscosity, the body weight increases and it is even compared to the weight of an average car. So the force required to get the person out is unimaginable.
Another important information is that they are hardly very deep. Therefore, the ideal is for the person to remain immobile, with their arms open so that the contact surface increases. As the density of the individual is less, within a short time the body will start to float.
Some scientists claim that another possible way to get rid of this trap is to move the legs sinuously, in a slow and progressive way. This movement will make the sand looser, allowing the exit.