For decades, the Atlantic Ocean’s
fabled Bermuda Triangle has captured the human imagination with
unexplained disappearances of ships, planes, and people.
Some speculate that unknown and mysterious forces account for the
unexplained disappearances, such as extraterrestrials capturing humans
for study; the influence of the lost continent of Atlantis;
vortices that suck objects into other dimensions; and other whimsical
ideas. Some explanations are more grounded in science, if not in
evidence. These include oceanic flatulence (methane gas erupting from
ocean sediments) and disruptions in geomagnetic lines of flux.
Environmental considerations could explain many, if not most, of
the disappearances. The majority of Atlantic tropical storms and
hurricanes pass through the Bermuda Triangle, and in the days prior to
improved weather forecasting, these dangerous storms claimed many
ships. Also, the Gulf Stream
can cause rapid, sometimes violent, changes in weather. Additionally,
the large number of islands in the Caribbean Sea creates many areas of
shallow water that can be treacherous to ship navigation. And there is
some evidence to suggest that the Bermuda Triangle is a place where a
“magnetic” compass sometimes points towards “true” north, as opposed to
“magnetic” north.
The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no
supernatural explanations for disasters at sea. Their experience
suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo
even the most incredulous science fiction. They add that no official
maps exist that delineate the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. The
U. S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle
as an official name and does not maintain an official file on the
area.
The ocean has always been a mysterious place to humans, and when
foul weather or poor navigation is involved, it can be a very deadly
place. This is true all over the world. There is no evidence that
mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the
Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the
ocean.
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