title: Rheology: liquefaction of quicksand under stress.
abstract: People or animals caught in quicksand find it very hard to escape. Here we show that quicksand acts as a trap because it becomes unstable when it is forced to move--first it liquefies, and then it collapses. But a simple sinking test demonstrates that it is impossible for a human to be drawn into quicksand altogether.
authors.affiliation: Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, 1018 XE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khaldoun
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eiser
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wegdam
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonn
mesh_terms: D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D000077215:Clay; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010316:Particle Size; D011312:Pressure; D012212:Rheology; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D003102:Colloids; D005782:Gels; D012492:Salts; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D000077215:Clay