This is the moment a man in Kanab, Utah ran into some dangerous quicksand.

"Yesterday, as I was hiking through Buckskin Gulch, the longest slot canyon in the world, I ran into dangerous quicksand. I tried finding ways around it, but couldn't progress any further and had to turn around and hike seven miles back to my vehicle. This canyon had recently experienced flash flooding which is likely what created the quicksand. This is unusual as this time of year there are rarely heavy rains.

Quicksand occurs when sand becomes supersaturated with water. Once it's agitated or stepped in, the structure collapses and liquifies, trapping you underneath. After it has formed back around you, it becomes difficult to lift your legs out of the quicksand as it seems to resist any upward movement."

It is impossible for a human to sink entirely into quicksand due to the higher density of the fluid. Quicksand has a density of about 2 grams per cubic centimeter, whereas the density of the human body is only about 1 gram per cubic centimeter. At that level of density, sinking beyond about waist height in quicksand is impossible. Even objects with a higher density than quicksand will float on it if stationary. Aluminum, for example, has a density of about 2.7 grams per cubic centimeter, but a piece of aluminum will float on top of quicksand until motion causes the sand to liquefy.

Continued or panicked movement, however, may cause a person to sink further in the quicksand. Since this increasingly impairs movement, it can lead to a situation where other factors such as weather exposure, dehydration, hypothermia, tides or predators may harm a trapped person.

Yesterday, as I was hiking through Buckskin Gulch, the longest slot canyon in the world, I ran into dangerous quicksand. I tried finding ways around it, but couldn't progress any further and had to turn around and hike seven miles back to my vehicle. This canyon had recently experienced flash flooding which is likely what created the quicksand. This is unusual as this time of year there are rarely heavy rains.

Quicksand occurs when sand becomes super saturated with water. Once it's agitated or stepped in, the structure collapses and liquifies, trapping you underneath. After it has formed back around you, it becomes difficult to lift your legs out of the quicksand as it seems to resist any upward movement.