I’ve taken enough classes, received enough certifications and responded to enough accidents to know that there isn’t something special about TA glacial silt……
What is it that makes the mudflats of Cook Inlet so unpredictable and so dangerous? Geologist Susan Winkler of the United States Geological Survey said it is the unique character of the grains of silt that are washed down from surrounding glaciers.
Winkler, who recently transferred to the USGS Denver branch, spent several years studying Cook Inlet sediments.
"The grains are highly angular. When they're deposited, they're in contact with each other in a delicate balance," she explained. "When you step on it, you cause it to become more mobile. Then, when it resettles after you've disturbed it, it tends to be more compacted around your foot. The grains are so angular that they're just locked together.
"You have these grains that are just balanced and they have lots of water between the grains. When you disturb it, the grains rearrange themselves and the water flows out and when they rearrange, they're more compact."
https://akfatal.net/Dickison.htm
