The Bermuda Triangle Supernatural or scientifically explainable? - Costanza Cantalini 5A - Liceo Scientifico G. Galilei - Pescara

Supernatural or scientifically explainable?

The Bermuda Triangle

                                              Costanza Cantalini 5A

A possible criterion
Occam’s Razor:
When we are presented with more than one hypothesis that explains the data equally well, we
  choose the simpler explanation.

Two of the most popular “conspiracy” theories regarding the mystery of the Bermuda
triangle
Are Atlantis and its sophisticated                    Is the Bermuda Triangle a base for
computer technology to blame?                         alien landing?

The facts
The Bermuda Triangle is an unofficial
denomination for an area of approximately
500,000 square miles located off the
Southeastern coast of the United States in the
Atlantic Ocean.
Its apexes are in in the vicinities of Bermuda,
Miami (Florida), and San Juan (Puerto Rico).

Unofficial reports claim that over 1000 lives
were lost due to unexplainable events that led
to the sinking of over 100 ships and dozens of
aircrafts.

It is a very trafficked area, sometimes used for
long-distance drug trafficking from South
America to the US.
Due to its closeness to the touristic area of
Miami, many amateur pilots and sailors
venture off its coasts.

The birth of a myth

◼   Bermuda Island was once known as “Isle of the Devils”. Ever since its discovery by
    European ships, its underwater reefs have caused a multitude of accidents and
    sinkings.
◼   The first disappearance to be reported by mass media:

    The case of the missing Navy Avengers in 1945
Five highly experienced pilots take off for a patrol on a sunny day. Weather
   conditions seem stable, but the crew soon sends confused messages to the
   control tower. They seem to be lost and have extremely low visibility, their
   compasses do not work and “everything looks wrong”. What they are seeing from
   their planes (only one big island) is not compatible with the area they are
   supposed to be flying over (close to Florida coast, full of many little islands). Two
   other aircrafts are sent to the rescue: one of them explodes and the other returns
   to the base with no clue as to Flight 19 crew location.

Testimonies from survivors
Mr Gernon’s experience: Electronic fog

As he is flying on a sunny day with no cloud coverage, a very round cloud travels
   incredible fast in his direction and engulfs the plane. He sees in front of him a
   tunnel in the cloud, its walls are spinning in anticlockwise direction and he enters
   it to get through the fog. Soon, his instruments stop working and his compass
   starts spinning in anticlockwise direction as if close to a powerful magnet. When
   he exits the tunnel, the mysterious cloud disappears, leaving Mr Gernon trapped
   in very thick fog. He is soon contacted by control tower, alerting him that he has
   reached Miami Beach, but the flight lasted only 47 minutes. His calculations
   assumed that reaching Miami Beach would instead take more than 75 minutes.
   This phenomenon has then become known as “time travel fog” and is linked to
   proven low electromagnetic fields generated at the centre of the Earth. Some
   think that this weak field might not be enough to hold electromagnetic “storms”
   under the surface of the Earth, allowing them out in unpredictable ways.

Supernatural theories
◼   Atlantis:
Some are convinced that the legendary city of Atlantis (first mentioned by Plato as a
    symbol of arrogance and divine punishment) was situated in the Bermuda
    Triangle and developed a very sophisticated civilization. It supposedly
    self-destroyed because of an accident occurred during testing of advanced
    technology, such as power laser rays or even an atomic reaction.
Some archaeological studies found remains of an ancient wall on Cuban coasts, and
    some unofficial sources claim that complex mineral structures shaped as
    pyramids were located under those waters.
A famous psychic says to have found an interesting mineral containing what seem to
    be microchip circuitry similar to modern-day computer parts, embedded in a
    mineral structure that reflects light similarly to a hologram.
The theory affirms that these computer parts might develop energy fields that can
    disturb navigation

◼ Aliens:
Some believe that the many trenches distributed in the area may serve as alien base
  landings, since they would be perfect to hide a large spacecraft.

Navigational characteristics

◼   Underwater topography is important to understand the risks peculiar to a
    navigational area. In this case, it goes from a gentle slope declining from the
    continent to extremely deep portions. In fact, some of the deepest trenches in
    the world are situated in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Ships or planes that
    sink into these deep trenches disappear and will never be found.
◼   The Gulf Stream, where the Triangle is located, is extremely turbulent. It can
    pose extreme challenges, especially for inexperienced sailors. The Gulf Stream
    can move faster than 5 mph in some areas - more than fast enough to throw
    sailors hundreds of miles off course if they don't compensate correctly for the
    current. It can also quickly erase any evidence of a disaster.
◼   This is a highly seismic area: underwater geological activity could suddenly
    change water condition and originate abnormal tides.
◼   The Bermuda triangle area is subject to tropical climate, including unpredictable
    storms that build up and can go undetected by satellites. These storms end
    quickly but violently and are very difficult to avoid.
◼   The area is known for its high presence of sharks and barracuda. This might
    explain why most of the people gone missing in the triangle were never found.

Other possible explanations
◼   The magnetic field can be variable and unstable:
A compass works because its magnetic needle is attracted by the magnetism of the Earth,
    which draws it to point to the constantly shifting Magnetic North Pole. The Geographic
    North Pole, on the other hand, is static and is located about 1200 miles north of the
    Magnetic Pole. The variation between the two readings is known as magnetic
    declination (or compass variation), which can change by as much as 20 degrees as you
    move across the globe.
In the early 18th century, Edmund Halley noticed that some areas experience larger variations
    and those areas vary in time shifting west around the globe.
◼ Scientists at Cardiff University have discovered the presence of large concentrations of
    methane gas trapped in the ocean floor. This gas is due to dying and decomposing sea
    organisms. The sediment contains bacteria that produce methane, which accumulates as
    super concentrated methane ice, called gas hydrates. The layer of ice traps the methane
    gas, and scientists are studying it as a potential energy source.
Within seconds of a methane gas pocket rupturing, the gas surges up and erupts on the surface
    without warning. If a ship is in the area of the blowout, the water beneath it would suddenly
    become much less dense.
Even planes flying overhead could catch fire during such a blowout.