What Happens If You Fall Into Quicksand?

The reason you don’t normally sink into the sand when you go to the beach is due to a physics phenomenon known as force chain. Basically, when a bajillion grains of sand are jammed together in one place, their weight gets distributed over a large area, keeping you and your camels safely above ground. But if any water happens to seep up from underground, it mixes with the sand to create a surface that looks solid, but isn’t... With your support we can make our show better! Join our Patreon community: Transcript and sources: Made possible with the support of Ontario Creates Watch more what-if scenarios: Planet Earth: The Cosmos: Technology: Your Body: Humanity: Follow what-if on Instagram for bonus material: Suggest an episode: T-shirts and merch: Facebook Watch: Watch on Tubi: “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.“ — Carl Sagan If you enjoy What If, make sure to check out our other channel “Underknown“: Produced by Underknown in Toronto, What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure — grounded in scientific theory — through time, space and chance, as we ask what if some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence were different. Feedback, inquiries and suggestions: