Quicksand warning sign near Lower King Bridge, Western Australia The movement combined with an increase in pore pressure (of groundwater) leads to the loss of particle cohesion, causing buildings or other objects on that surface to sink. Soil liquefaction may occur in partially saturated soil when it is shaken by an earthquake or similar forces. Objects in liquefied sand sink to the level at which the weight of the object is equal to the weight of the displaced soil/water mix and the submerged object floats due to its buoyancy. The cushioning of water gives quicksand, and other liquefied sediments, a spongy, fluid-like texture. This causes the sand to form a suspension and lose strength. The saturated sediment may appear quite solid until a sudden change in pressure or shock initiates liquefaction. In the case of upward flowing water, forces oppose the force of gravity and suspend the soil particles. Quicksand can form in standing water or in upward flowing water (as from an artesian spring). When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that loses strength and cannot support weight. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water.
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