4/11/2024 0 Comments Stuck in quicksand![]() Hypothermia occurs rapidly in wet quicksand, or you can die in the desert when the sun goes down. Hypothermia: You can't maintain your body temperature forever when half of you is encased in sand.It could be the tide, splashing water (since quicksand can occur underwater), heavy rain, or falling over into water. Drowning: This happens when additional water moves in over the quicksand.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. Humans and animals typically float in water, so if you are standing upright, the furthest you'll sink in the quicksand is waist-deep. It's true you don't sink in quicksand until you're submerged. Strong forces stiffen quicksand, making it more like a solid than a liquid, so pulling and jerking only make a bad situation worse.Ī quick Google search reveals most writers don't have personal experience with quicksand or consult water rescue experts. The trick to escaping the trap is to move slowly and try to float. You'll only sink halfway, no matter how badly you freak out.ĭisturbing quicksand makes it flow like a liquid, but gravity acts against you. However, the average human has a density of about 1 gram per milliliter, while the average quicksand density is about 2 grams per milliliter. The sand around you also settles into place.Ĭontinued movement (like thrashing around from panic) keeps the mixture more like a liquid, so you sink further. If you stop after the first step, the sand particles beneath you get compressed by your weight. Stepping on it initially lowers the viscosity, so you sink. Undisturbed quicksand appears solid, but it's really a gel. What this means it can change its ability to flow (viscosity) in response to stress. Technically speaking, quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid. If you have to rescue yourself, wriggle your legs to make the quicksand more fluid while trying to sit back into the quicksand to increase your body's surface area. The best way to prevent a fatality is to keep a charged cell phone with you so you can call for help.Death can come in the form of suffocation, dehydration, hypothermia, predators, crush syndrome, or drowning from a river or incoming tide. Even though you can't sink all the way into quicksand, it's a killer.However, a person or branch can be used to help reduce the victim's weight, making it easier to work free and float. A rescuer can't simply pull a victim out of quicksand.Really, the only way to drown from the quicksand is to fall into it head first or face first. You can only sink into quicksand up to your waist.It changes its viscosity in response to stress or vibration, allowing you to sink, but making it hard to escape. Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid made of sand mixed with water or air.“ How to Escape from Quicksand.” Mental Floss, Minute Media, 19 Feb. “ Can You Survive Quicksand?” Hosted by Jonny Phillips, I Didn’t Know That, National Geographic, 19 Mar. “ Quicksand Science: Why It Traps, How to Escape.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 28 Sept. Work in short bursts with short rests in between.Īsk for Help: If you feel like you can’t get out on your own, ask Out of Chaos for help. If you become too tired, you can’t maximize your productivity. Although it might seem counter-intuitive, you need to take breaks. When you finish one job, move to the next one. Focus on one thing at a time and work towards its completion. Move Slowly but Surely: Prioritize your work. Delegate work that is outside your skillset. At work, delete tasks that won’t help you move forward. Lighten the Load: If sinking in quicksand, remove your heavy clothing and backpack. How to Escape the Quicksandĭon’t Panic: You won’t sink and suffocate in quicksand, and you won’t suffocate in your work – even though it feels like it. The good news is that our task list won’t kill us, but we have to make some progress so we can reduce stress and enjoy life. Priorities and deadlines become blurred, and we get stuck – up to our waist in stuff we have to get done. We have so many tasks and so little time. Our work and home lives mix together, like sand and water. The bad news is that if you remain trapped too long, you may lose blood circulation in your legs, or the tide may come in, and you will drown. The good news is that you can’t sink or drown in quicksand. It is often found in tidal areas – even in the Vancouver area. When the water in the sand cannot drain away, it creates a liquid-solid mixture that can’t support your weight. Quicksand is a mixture of sand (or silt, or clay) and water. But interestingly, we can apply the techniques used to escape quicksand to get us back on track. Do you have so many different projects and tasks that you feel like you’re sinking in quicksand? It happens to me sometimes too.
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