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The Bermuda Triangle


 
The "Bermuda Triangle" or "Devil's Triangle" is an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States of America, which is noted for a supposedly high incidence of unexplained disappearances of ships and aircraft. The apexes of the triangle are generally believed to be Bermuda; Miami, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The US Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an official name. The US Navy does not believe the Bermuda Triangle exists. It is reported that Lloyd's of London, the world's leading market for specialist insurance, does not charge higher premiums for vessels transiting this heavily traveled area.

The most famous US Navy losses which have occurred in the area popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle are USS Cyclops in March 1918 and the aircraft of Flight 19 in December 1945. The ship probably sank in an unexpected storm, and the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean -- no physical traces of them have ever been found. Another well known disappearance is the civilian tanker SS Marine Sulphur Queen carrying bulk molten sulfur which sank in February 1963. Although the wreck of Marine Sulphur Queen has not been located, a life preserver and other floating artifacts were recovered. These disappearances have been used to provide credence to the popular belief in the mystery and purported supernatural qualities of the "Bermuda Triangle."
Since the days of early civilization many thousands of ships have sunk and/or disappeared in waters around the world due to navigational and other human errors, storms, piracy, fires, and structural/mechanical failures. Aircraft are subject to the same problems, and many of them have crashed at sea around the globe. Often, there were no living witnesses to the sinking or crash, and hence the exact cause of the loss and the location of the lost ship or aircraft are unknown. A large number of pleasure boats travel the waters between Florida and the Bahamas. All too often, crossings are attempted with too small a boat, insufficient knowledge of the area's hazards, and a lack of good seamanship.
To see how common accidents are at sea, you can examine some of the recent accident reports of the National Transportation Safety Board for ships and aircraft. One of the aircraft accident reports concerns an in-flight engine failure and subsequent ditching of a Cessna aircraft near Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on 13 July 2003. This is the type of accident that would likely have been attributed to mysterious causes in the Bermuda Triangle if there had been no survivors or other eyewitnesses of the crash.
A significant factor with regard to missing vessels in the Bermuda Triangle is a strong ocean current called the Gulf Stream. It is extremely swift and turbulent and can quickly erase evidence of a disaster. The weather also plays its role. Prior to the development of telegraph, radio and radar, sailors did not know a storm or hurricane was nearby until it appeared on the horizon. For example, the Continental Navy sloop Saratoga was lost off the Bahamas in such a storm with all her crew on 18 March 1781. Many other US Navy ships have been lost at sea in storms around the world. Sudden local thunder storms and water spouts can sometimes spell disaster for mariners and air crews. Finally, the topography of the ocean floor varies from extensive shoals around the islands to some of the deepest marine trenches in the world. With the interaction of the strong currents over the many reefs the topography of the ocean bottom is in a state of flux and the development of new navigational hazards can sometimes be swift.
It has been inaccurately claimed that the Bermuda Triangle is one of the two places on earth at which a magnetic compass points towards true north. Normally a compass will point toward magnetic north. The difference between the two is known as compass variation. The amount of variation changes by as much as 60 degrees at various locations around the World. If this compass variation or error is not compensated for, navigators can find themselves far off course and in deep trouble. Although in the past this compass variation did affect the "Bermuda Triangle" region, due to fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field this has apparently not been the case since the nineteenth century.
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.

How the Mystery is  Solved:

Computer studies of ocean floors around the world, particularly the area known as The Bermuda Triangle, reveal evidence of massive methane explosions in the past. For years, believers in the paranormal, aliens, and other outlandish theories pointed to the the disappearance of ships and aircraft as an indicator of mysterious forces at work in the "Devil's triangle." Scientists have finally pointed the rest of us to a more plausible cause.

The presence of methane hydrates indicates enormous eruptions of methane bubbles that would swamp a ship, and projected high into the air- take out flying airplanes, as well.
Any ships caught within the methane mega-bubble immediately lose all buoyancy and sink to the bottom of the ocean. If the bubbles are big enough and possess a high enough density they can also knock aircraft out of the sky with little or no warning. Aircraft falling victim to these methane bubbles will lose their engines-perhaps igniting the methane surrounding them-and immediately lose their lift as well, ending their flights by diving into the ocean and swiftly plummeting.
A top researcher in the Bermuda Triangle mystery is claiming he has solved the riddle and knows exactly what happened to ships and planes that were lost in this area.
Has the Bermuda Triangle Mystery been finally solved?  According to Mike Walters, a top researcher in the mystery who has been exploring the area of the triangle for more than 20 years, the answer is yes.  Walters is claiming he knows exactly what has caused numerous ships and planes to be lost in the area and can prove his theory to anyone who asks. 
Walter’s theory begins on a dive he took around 20 miles southwest from the coast of Bermuda where he claims he found a large crystal that was mostly buried in the sand underneath approximately 100 feet of water.  The crystal was very large and Walters claims he thinks it is the biggest one piece crystal ever found.  Upon seeing the crystal for the first time, Walter’s claims that he could only see about 10 feet of the crystal but could make out the entire shape from the sand covering it.  Walters estimates that the entire piece is over 50 feet in length and about 4 feet in width.  The crystal was a vibrant yellow in color and seemed to give off a glow in the water immediately around it.
After finding the crystal for the first time, Walters made repeated dives at the site and did numerous tests on the crystal.  He had a feeling that the crystal might have strange properties and according to some tests he is said to have done, the piece does seem to display abnormal characteristics.  One of the most bizarre features is the fact that anything metal that gets within 50 feet of the crystal is drawn straight towards it.  Anything electronic malfunctions anywhere near the crystal too. 
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So, how does this crystal explain all of the disappearances of planes and ships in the Triangle?  According to Walter’s theory, he claims that the crystal was completely uncovered many years ago and was able to give off huge magnetic forces towards anything metal which would completely sink many ships and even bring down planes.  Walter claims that right around the crystal are numerous large mounds underneath the water that he believes are the remnants of several of these large ships and planes.   He plans on exploring these mounds over the next several years to confirm his theories.  
Most researchers are quick to dismiss Walter’s theory and claim that a crystal could first off never be that large and would not give off those strange properties either.  Walter has gone on the record numerous times that he is willing to show anyone the crystal.  However, it should be noted that the last time several researchers went on a dive with Mr. Walters, all they could make out was a large mound where he claimed the crystal was completely covered up with sand.  So far, no one besides Mr Walter’s and two of his colleagues have actually seen the crystal so the theory is no where close to being proven.  Walter’s does point out that he is glad that the crystal is actually buried underneath the sand, in that it seems that the forces that the piece gives off is weakened considerably and that is why there have not been many disappearances lately in the Triangle.  He fears that if the crystal does become uncovered by either a storm or by humans, then we could restart the strange disappearances once again and no one wants that. 



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