Coined by the writer Vincent Gaddis in 1964, the Bermuda Triangle refers to the region extending from Bermuda to Miami, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is popularly known as ‘The Devil’s Triangle’ or the ‘Isle of Devils’, because of the mysterious disappearances of ships and planes passing through that region. Although the tragic events have not yet met with any solid reason, various explanations have been developed from time to time on the basis of the various events and evidences.
1. To err is Human
This is for those who don’t want to cloud their sense of logic with some old-wives tale about ghosts and aliens. Given the rough weather conditions and the tricky ocean currents in the Bermuda region, it is quite possible even for the most trained of pilots to lose control of their vessels and drift into the vast abyss. The most famous plane wreck of the Triangle’s storied history is that of Flight 19, on 5 December 1945. When the rescue team failed to comprehend the situation that the plane might have been, the only plausible explanation given was that the pilot mistook outline of the Bahama Islands for the coastline of Florida.
2. The Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream is an ocean current within the ocean itself that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida into the North Atlantic. The currents are strong enough to easily move a plane or a ship off their course. Given the gigantic waves and the rough weather condition, the vessels are likely to be engulfed by some of the deepest trenches in the world, some as deep to nearing 28,000 feet, within the Bermuda Triangle.
3. Geomagnetic fields
Navigation along the sea requires the efficient use of the Magnetic compass. In the light of the fact that the Bermuda region is unique because it is one of the only two places on Earth where true north and magnetic north line up which can vary readings on navigational equipment, the disappearances of the ships have been linked the magnetic anomalies in the area. Rob MacGregor and Bruce Gernon explained in their ‘electronic fog’ theory that powerful electromagnetic storms from within the Earth break through to the surface and come into the atmosphere leaving a fog behind.
4. Methane Gas
Experiments have shown that bubbles of methane decrease the density of water, which can be an explanation for the massive sinking of ships in the Bermuda Triangle. As far as the wreckage is concerned, it is very likely to rise to the surface before being rapidly swept away by the Gulf Stream. These deposits of “methane clathrates” occur in various places along the seabed, and it is quite unpredictable when one of them would erupt and release methane froth, thereby decreasing the buoyancy on the water surface and swallowing an entire ship!
5. Hurricanes
The Bermuda Triangle experiences the torments of hurricane Alley every year. These are associated not just with rogue waves and violent weather, but also cause ‘microburst’, which is a sudden downdraft caused by the storm’s rotation sucking air down from high altitude. It is thus not very difficult for these storms to wreck planes and sink ships, leaving behind no trace of it!
6. The lost city of Atlantis
According to the famous Edgar Cayce prophecy, in 1968 archaeologists would find the entrance to the drowned city of Atlantis near Bimini in the Bermuda Triangle. The discovery of archaeological structures surrounding North Bimini Island, have aroused questions about the existence of the city of Atlantis. While there has been repeated mention of the place in history books, nothing much have been found to substantiate the fact. However, it is believe that the city could have really been technologically advanced to exist even under the sea, sucking at the resources that pass by on the surface of the sea.
7. Space-time Continuum
In the light of Einstein’s general theory of Relativity, the concept of wormholes and Einstein-Rosen Bridge have been long developed. A rip in the space-time continuum may not necessarily be a black hole, but can also become pathways for teleportation. Evidences exist which suggest that it is possible to get lost in the Bermuda Triangle and then again reappear in the same place after some time, which is exactly what the theory suggests. A ship entering such a point might actually get teleported to a completely new place, without even realizing! The mathematical theories involved with how wormholes work are not yet fully described, so there is no way to prove or disprove the theory that such wormholes exist in the Bermuda Triangle.
8. Positive Gravitational Mascon
Theories suggest the existence of “mass concentrations” in all bodies in the universe, which is related to the gravitational field. It is difficult to locate or realize the exact locations of such mascon, but they are believed to exist in the seabed, directly under the triangle. As a ship sails between the waves, these dense and powerful spots can actually cause a ship to sink and drag it down to the seabed in a matter of seconds! Their effect is even more prominent in case of aircrafts.
9. Aliens
Though this theory is highly interesting and debatable from a science fiction point of view, it was not before the disappearance of Mary Celeste and the USS Cyclops, an armed Navy bulk cargo ship transporting 11,000 tons of raw manganese for use in munitions. As the ship sailed directly across the center of the triangle, its disappearance could not be substantiated with any theory due to the absence of any debris that a ship wreck would generate. Stories like this one have given rise to the theory of aliens beaming entire ships and planes into spaceships.
10. Souls of black slaves
According to the theory of psychiatrist, Dr. Kenneth McAll of Brook Lyndhurst in England, the death and disappearances of Bermuda Triangle are related with a curse associated with the African slaves who were thrown into the sea on their voyage to America. In the 18th century, British sea captains defrauded insurance companies by tossing slaves into the ocean to drown, then cashing in on a claim for them. He wrote about his strange experiences while sailing those waters in his book “Healing the Haunted”.
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