Curious Kids Every Day: A Daily Educational Podcast
Sep 10, 2026 · 11 min · 10 segments
Quicksand forms when loose sand becomes saturated with water and loses enough strength to support weight. Today we learn why people can become trapped in it without being pulled completely beneath the…
Josh TaylorHost
[laughs] But, but normal sand, if you stand on it, the, the, the tiny grains underneath your feet press against one another.
[sand crunching] The grains have friction between them, and together they can support your weight.
See, if water is moving up through loose sand, it can push between the grains and reduce how firmly those grains press against one another.
When the grains lose enough contact with each other, the sand can suddenly become unstable.
[upbeat music] Instead of supporting your foot like normal ground, the mixture of sand and water begins moving around your foot, and down you go.
Quicksand can form in places where there is plenty of water beneath or around the sand.
The National Park Service warns that water-saturated sand can sometimes be found near creeks and streams and springs.
[laughs] But, but normal sand, if you stand on it, the, the, the tiny grains underneath your feet press against one another.
[sand crunching] The grains have friction between them, and together they can support your weight.
See, if water is moving up through loose sand, it can push between the grains and reduce how firmly those grains press against one another.
When the grains lose enough contact with each other, the sand can suddenly become unstable.
[upbeat music] Instead of supporting your foot like normal ground, the mixture of sand and water begins moving around your foot, and down you go.
Quicksand can form in places where there is plenty of water beneath or around the sand.
The National Park Service warns that water-saturated sand can sometimes be found near creeks and streams and springs.
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