Mudflats in the sunset.

Mudflats or Tidal flats are created by tidal action when silt and mud is deposited in vast quantities. They are almost always located in sheltered areas like bays and lagoons.

Mudflats form when silt and mud are brought in by seas, oceans, and tributaries. The mud and the silt are deposited into bays and lagoons when the tide comes in. The water mixes with the mud and silt, creating the muddy quicksand that occurs in mudflats.

Although mudflats might look barren, they're not. Wildlife can be found on or below the surface. Plankton, snails, clams, oysters, birds, and worms are some of the many animals that use the mudflats for shelter and/or food.

These are sensitive ecosystems. Chemical pollution, land development, rising sea levels, and dredging threaten mud flats everyday. Mudflats are important for keeping the shoreline from eroding and play a major part in their surrounding area's food chain, so their loss would spur many harsh environmental consequences.

In tidal flat zones, the ground is somewhat like quicksand. This means you can become fatally stuck. If you're walking on the flats, keep moving and don't stand in place. If you become stationary, you are more likely to sink. If you are stuck in an extreme tidal zone, like those in Alaska, then you can be drowned by the incoming tide.

Also found in area are Bore Tides. They occur in several places around the world but we have them right here in our back yard in Anchorage Alaska! For more information on these unique phenomenon, click HERE!