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How common is quicksand? Map defines where in the US to steer clear after woman was swallowed on Maine beach during walk with husband
A new map has revealed where quicksand can be found in the US after a woman walking along a beach in Maine nearly lost her life in a liquified pit.
Quicksand can form on beaches, tidal flats, riverbanks or near springs, anywhere the ground is saturated with water.
Florida and the Carolinas are risky with their marsh coasts, while parts of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona have clay-filled waters that mix with sand to form the traps.
While deaths by quicksand are rare, experts are warning people to lookout for tell-tale signs including a more dense appearance like mud rather than sand with a rippled texture and water seeping up from underneath it.
Quicksand is found in marshy areas or near bodies of water like riverbanks or beaches, commonly found on the coasts of Florida , North and South Carolina and the Colorado Plateau - where Arizona , Utah , New Mexico and Colorado intersect
Jamie Acord was walking along the water's edge at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg with her husband Patrick earlier this month when she got caught in quicksand and suddenly 'dropped like a rock'. The couple are pictured together at the beach
Earlier this month, Jamie Acord was walking with her husband Patrick at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg when she sunk waist-deep in quicksand as the tide washed on the shore.
She sunk to her hips in a split second and let out a stunned scream as the high tide started creeping in.
Acord said she 'couldn't feel the bottom' or 'find my footing' as she sunk into the sand before her husband, Patrick, was able to pull her out.
But within seconds Patrick came to her rescue, pulling her from the sand trap.
The couple then watched as the hole filled back up with sand and disappeared.
Another recent incident happened in 2019 when a hiker was rescued at Zion National Park in southwest Utah.
Ryan Osmun was hiking with his girlfriend Jessika McNeill at Utah's Zion National Park on Saturday, when she suddenly tripped into quicksand.
As Osmun helped her out, he got his own right leg stuck in the quicksand and was unable to free himself.
McNeill then had to hike for three hours to get cell service to call for help, and neither she or Osmun were sure if they'd ever see each other again.
'There was no chance of moving it at all. The sand had surrounded the whole leg and I couldn't move it. The best way to describe it would be... standing in a huge puddle of concrete - that basically dries instantly,' Osmun said to CBS.
Quicksand forms when sand becomes saturated with water, causing it to become mushy and sag under weight - but it is typically only a few feet deep meaning people will only sink to their waist.
The actual amount of people who die from quicksand submersion is so rare that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn't record the number of deaths.
'However, it is difficult to get out,' Dr Daniel Bonn, a researcher specializing in quicksand at the University of Amsterdam, told Newsweek.
'So, if one is stuck near the sea, an incoming high tide may kill you.'
She sunk to her hips in a split second and let out a stunned scream as the high tide started creeping in. Pictured is moments before the incident
Another recent case happened in 2019 when a hiker was rescued at Zion National Park in southwest Utah. Ryan Osmun was hiking with his girlfriend Jessika McNeill at Utah's Zion National Park on Saturday, when she suddenly tripped into quicksand
The most recent death was 50-year-old Jose Rey Escobedo who was swimming in the San Antonio River in 2015 when he became trapped in quicksand.
His body was found three days later, laying facedown and submerged up to his buttocks in quicksand, marking the only related death in Texas in a five-year period.
'The clay [in quicksand] can stabilize a loose packing of sand grains, just like yogurt can stabilize cereal grains in it,' said Dr Bonn.
'However, if you start to move in it, the clay matrix liquefies and the sand packing collapses, similarly to a house of cards that collapses. So it becomes liquid, and you sink.
'You get stuck in the dense packing of sand grains at the bottom of the liquefied part. But you cannot drown in it.'
It is also not uncommon for people to survive after becoming submerged in quicksand, including a 78-year-old Florida man who was rescued eight hours after he became stuck in 2016.
Bob Broyle ventured outside around 5:30pm to feed turtles in a nearby creek but fell down a down the steep bank of the creek.
When Broyle attempted to stand up, he realized he slid head first into quicksand.
McNeill then had to hike for three hours to get cell service to call for help, and neither she or Osmun were sure if they'd ever see each other again
These soggy sand deposits are found in marshy areas or near bodies of water like riverbanks or beaches, commonly found on the coasts of Florida, North and South Carolina and the Colorado Plateau - where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado intersect.
'People hear the word quicksand they think jungle movie. The reality with this supersaturated sand is you're not going to go under,' said Jim Britt, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
He continued to explain that even if people are trapped, they will float on the top and eventually wiggle free.
If you do find yourself stuck in quicksand, experts have warned that its important not to panic because flailing your arms and legs could cause you to become more submerged.
Instead, it's advised to lean back slightly and spread your weight evenly to help stay afloat and gently wiggle your legs which can add more water to the sand and liquefy it, allowing you to pull free.
'It's like having your boot stick in the mud; if you just pull, nothing happens. So you need to wiggle your way out of it,' said Dr Bonn.
This could take a while, with physicists calculating that the force needed to pull your foot free at one centimeter per second is about the same force needed to lift a medium-sized car, according to Britannica.
Quicksand forms when sand becomes saturated with water, causing it to become mushy and sag under weight - but it is typically only a few feet deep meaning people will only sink to their waist
Experts advise people lean back slightly and spread their weight evenly to help stay afloat after sinking into quicksand. They also suggest gently wiggling your legs which can add more water to the sand and liquefy it, allowing you to pull free. Pictured: Quicksand near the sea in Grosseto, Italy
If you're unsure if you've stumbled upon quicksand, you should test the area first by tapping the ground with a pole or walking stick and if the ground gives way, it's best to simply avoid the area.
'One cannot drown in quicksand because of buoyancy,' Dr Bonn said.
In a 2005 study, Dr Bonn and a team of scientists found humans have roughly half the density of quicksand, meaning they should float as long as they don't struggle and bury themselves in the supersaturated sand.
'A person trapped in quicksand is not in any danger of being sucked under completely,' according to the study published in the Nature journal.
'Any unfortunate victim should sink halfway into the quicksand, but could then take solace from the knowledge that there would be no risk of being sucked beneath the surface.'