![quicksand beach quicksand beach](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3_SNV7hhj0o/maxresdefault.jpg)
![quicksand beach quicksand beach](https://live.staticflickr.com/7155/6798058887_12cd46136e_b.jpg)
In such cases, the loose packing of the sand is maintained by the upward movement of the water. Quicksand can also be found near river banks or at beaches during low tide. An alluvial fan is a cone-shaped body of sand and gravel formed by rivers flowing down from a mountain. Most quicksand can be found next to natural springs, or at the base of alluvial fans. When additional force is applied from the outside, i.e., when someone steps on it, the sand collapses! Where is quicksand found? When the sand collapses into its own void, it is said to become “quick”, hence the name “quicksand”. The arrangement of the grains can be understood as a house of cards, i.e., the space between the cards is greater than the space the cards take up. Loose packing of the grains of sand can produce a void that can extend and fill 30-70% of the mass. A grain of sand usually has more of an elongated shape, rather than a spherical one. The structural property of a grain of sand also plays a crucial role in the difference between normal sand and quicksand. “I don’t know when I’ll go down again,” she said.Īnybody ever experience anything similar? Post a comment here.Quicksand is a mixture of sand and water, or sand and air, that looks solid. She hasn’t been back to the beach this week. McCall, who used to live in Ocean City, Md., and has lived part-time in Ocean City, N.J., for 10 years, said she’s never experienced anything similar. It’s unclear if January’s exceptionally cold weather had anything to do with the phenomenon. Jim Eberwine, a retired National Weather Service meteorologist and expert on local conditions, pointed to a scientific explanation that indicates quicksand can occur wherever sand and underground water mix. Morgan referred to a YouTube video of “ Lake Michigan Quicksand.” Scott Morgan, an Ocean City police detective and Emergency Management deputy coordinator, said one plausible explanation could have to do with a recent beach replenishment project in Ocean City (though the project ended eight months ago and six blocks away from where McCall sank).
![quicksand beach quicksand beach](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GNCF9qEc9wU/maxresdefault.jpg)
She wrote to the city and posted a note on Ocean City Patch.įrank Donato, Ocean City’s Emergency Management coordinator, said he’s never heard of anybody experiencing anything similar in Ocean City. McCall also started a search for answers about what exactly she had experienced and what caused it. “If I were a jogger by myself, I don’t know what would have happened. With a day or two of warmth behind her and a little more time to think about it, McCall decided to let other people know about her experience.
![quicksand beach quicksand beach](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_Du7q1opQZU/maxresdefault.jpg)
Shocked and wet, the couple made the long and frozen walk back home, and they suffered no injury. He was then able to pull McCall out of the “sucking hole.” Suddenly the glory of being alone on the beach seemed a lot more terrifying.īut as Forman’s own boots were buried, he was able to fall forward onto harder sand, McCall said. I was just going down.”Ĭrying and screaming, McCall looked to Forman and was horrified to see that Forman, too, was sinking. Then she sank until her knees, thighs and hips were buried. The soft sand soon swallowed both her boots. She tried to lift her foot but that only made it sink deeper. That’s when the 64-year-old McCall took a step into sand she knew was too soft. McCall was walking toward the ocean below the high-tide line but was still about 15 feet away. The couple had walked from their home at 23rd Street and West Avenue, and had made it down the beach almost to 20th Street. The air temperature was only 18 degrees, but the sun was out, the tide was low, and McCall said she was thrilled for the chance to get out of the house to look for shells and beach glass. Charleen McCall and her fiancé, Bob Forman, had the beach to themselves last Saturday afternoon near 21st Street.