sand boil

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsænd bɔɪl/

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sand boil (plural sand boils)

1. (geology) An eruption of water through a bed of sand due, for instance, to seismic activity, or to differences in water pressure on two sides of a levee which causes water to penetrate beneath the levee.
   • 1913 February, Garrard Harris, “Tom Ralston vs. The Mississippi: How One Boy Fought against Odds and Held in Check the Father of Waters”, in Boys' Life: The Boy Scouts' Magazine, volume II, number 12, New York, N.Y.: Boy Scouts of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11:

     "Whew!" said Tom, his eyes opening wide. "What must I do when I find a sand boil?" / "If you see a boil developing, grab a sack of dirt—we'll leave some at points a few hundred feet apart—put it right over the spout; pile on more as fast as you can and blow your horn for help, and keep blowing. We will get there and attend to it."

   • 1968, Paul R[udolph] Speer, W. J. Perry, John A. McCabe, O. G. Lara [et al.], “Low Flows and Ground-water Fluctuations”, in Low-flow Characteristics of Streams in the Mississippi Embayment in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois: The Magnitude, Duration, Frequency of Recurrence, and Chemical Composition of Low Flows (Geological Survey Professional Paper; 448-H), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page H22:

     Sand boils are regarded as an annoyance in protecting areas below flood level behind the levees, but investigations into their occurrence reveal significant information on the interrelation between floodwaters and the movement of ground water in alluvial valleys. During the 1937 flood, the Illinois State Water Survey division made several tests in the Cairo area to determine the origin of the water in sand boils. […] From these tests, it was concluded that the water in the sand boils is fundamentally ground water of the same character as the well water.

   • 1995, Ray Knox, David Stewart, “Recognizing Seismic Landforms”, in The New Madrid Fault Finders Guide, Marble Hill, Mo.: Gutenberg-Richter Publications, →ISBN, pages 40–41:

     The more quiet ejections are apparently more common. These "sand boils" are produced where liquefied material, mostly sand and water, quietly boils out from its vent, sometimes for two or three days following the earthquake. After the earthquake, a mound of sand remains, surrounding its vent. It is also quite likely that many, perhaps most, extrusive sand features start as sand blows and finish as sand boils. […] "Sand boil" also has a local meaning. When the Mississippi, Ohio, St. Francis, and other rivers of the region rise to high stages on their levees, the protected land inside the levee is sometimes lower than the water level in the stream. Because water seeks its own level, this situation produces pressure, a hydraulic head from the higher stream to the lower level on the other side of the levee, causing ground water to move toward the ground surface and produce boiling cones of water and sand. The suggestion has been made, for good reasons, to restrict the term "sand boil" to these hydrologically-induced liquefaction features (HIL).

   • 2015, Sheng-Hong Chen, “Operation and Maintenance of Hydraulic Structures”, in Hydraulic Structures, Heidelberg: Springer, →DOI, →ISBN, page 1007:

     All sand boils should be watched closely. A sand boil that discharges clear water in a steady flow normally does not endanger the embankment. However, if the flow of water increases and the sand boil begins to discharge material, remedial actions should be undertaken immediately.

2. (pathology, rare) A boil which forms when sand particles enter and irritate the skin.
   • 1861, T[homas] Spencer Wells, “Boils”, in The Scale of Medicines with which Merchant Vessels are to be Furnished, by Command of the Privy Council for Trade; with Observations on the Means of Preserving the Health of Seamen; Directions for the Use of the Medicines, and for the Treatment of Various Accidents and Diseases, 2nd edition, London: John Churchill, New Burlington Street, page 92:

     The boils called sand boils, which form on the front of the knee, are generally produced by small particles of sand being rubbed beneath the skin when the men are kneeling to holystone the decks. Very troublesome sores are thus produced. Great care should, therefore, be taken never to kneel with the bare knees upon a sanded deck. In treating a sand boil, all particles of sand must be removed, wet compresses applied for a day or two, the leg kept at rest, dry lint and adhesive plaster being afterwards used.

• sand boil on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Baldinos, Basildon, Blaisdon, binloads