Scientists Now Have Evidence to Explain the Bermuda Triangle

Many people refer to the Bermuda Triangle as the “Devil’s Triangle.” Countless ships and planes have disappeared while they crossed the undetermined Atlantic Ocean location within the last 200 years. Many times, no one knows what happened to them. Regardless, there should be a logical explanation for all of these mysterious occurrences.

It appears that researchers from England’s University of Southampton found evidence explaining the events that happened in the Bermuda Triangle. You can now read on to learn what they discovered.

Defining the Area

Initially, the study had to define the area people called the Bermuda Triangle. Most people believe it’s 500,000 square miles in diameter, but others say it might be 1.5 million square miles. Regardless, it connects Bermuda, Miami, and Puerto Rico.

Something Scary

Something terrifying happens when vessels or planes try to travel through this corner of the planet. Many times, they will vanish without any trace of them, which fascinates people and makes them wonder what’s going on.

Christopher Columbus

The mystery seems to date back to the time of Christopher Columbus when he conducted his oceanic adventures. He had written in his journal that compasses didn’t work while he was in the area, but he also noted strange lights.

The USS Cyclops

That’s not the only weird thing that happened. The USS Cyclops was a ship that held 309 people. It was leaving from Barbados in March of 1918. The trip started off as planned, but those aboard the vessel, and the ship itself, vanished while moving through the triangle.

Five Avenger Torpedo Bombers

During a post-WWII training session, five Avenger torpedo bombers set off into the sky on December 5, 1945. The crew flew over the Atlantic Ocean, crossing into the Bermuda Triangle. They were never heard from again.

Sparking Imagination

A search crew was created to locate the bombers, but they also disappeared. These strange events have led writers to speculate, letting their imaginations run wild. Some believe that The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, is inspired by the triangle.

Argosy Magazine

Vincent Gaddis wrote an article in 1964 called “The Deadly Bermuda Triangle.” It was found in Argosy magazine, and it linked the Avenger bomber disappearance in 1945 with other strange occurrences.

Demanding More

The article was quite popular, which caused Gaddis to release a book titled “Invisible Horizons.” However, the craze didn’t end there. People wanted to know more about the mysterious area haunting the Atlantic Ocean.

Eerie Events

People formed thousands of different theories about the reason for these strange events to happen. One common idea was that the Atlantic Ocean was full of massive sea creatures, which were responsible for the oddities.

Outlandish Theories

The researchers in Southampton chose to determine the reason for these events, but by the time they did, their work was cut out for them. First, they had to dismiss all the outlandish theories the public had formed about the triangle.

Atlantis

One conspiracy theory claimed that the Bermuda Triangle held the Lost City of Atlantis. People believed that the Atlanteans had advanced technology, which was still operational. That caused the vessels to disappear from our realm.

Wormhole

Conspiracy theorists also thought there was a wormhole located in the vicinity of the Bermuda Triangle. The space-time continuum didn’t matter as much in that area, so objects were transported to any number of alternative dimensions/universes.

Sea Beasts or Aliens

While such theories are interesting and easy to discuss, the truth behind the Bermuda Triangle and its disappearances doesn’t have anything to do with aliens and sea beasts. Researchers and scientists in England think they have the answer.

The Issue

The bright minds at England’s University of Southampton have studied the events that happened in the Bermuda Triangle extensively. After the research they’d done, they think the water is at fault.

Rogue Waves

The research team explained that the region dealt with rogue waves periodically, which caused the disappearance of so many ships throughout the years. The waves originate when three storms collide from different directions, which creates a tsunami.

Sheer Power

Researchers think the waves tower over the ocean and are possible to avoid. Plus, the sheer power of them would crush vessels, sending the ships to the bottom of the sea. No one could see the remains unless they went down into the water.

Strange Secrets

Dr. Simon Boxall claims that a larger vessel would see more damage. The rogue water peaks at each end, causing the boat to ultimately snap in two. However, the US Coast Guard believes the area is safe to travel.

Great Blue Hole

Paranormal happenings are fun to discuss and imagine. However, Earth’s water holds strange secrets. The Great Blue Hole is one of them, which is found about 40 miles from Belize City’s coast. It was considered the largest of its kind and is 1,000 feet across.

World Heritage Site

This hole is found at the center of Lighthouse Reef, one of the many tiny atolls that make up the second-largest coral reef system in the world (the Great Barrier Reef is the first). UNESCO has deemed the Great Blue Hole a World Heritage Site.

Jacques Cousteau

While researchers have known about the hole from the mid-20th century, no one appreciated it until Jacques Cousteau visited the site in 1971. He’s the famous marine explorer, and he brought attention to its magnificence.

Confirmation

At the time, Jacques was aboard the Calypso, a special vessel with a mobile lab. He used that to measure the hole’s depth, which is believed to be about 407 feet down. The Cambrian Foundation led an expedition in 1991 that confirmed the measurement.

Scuba Spot

After Cousteau explored the Great Blue Hole, it became a popular scuba area for professional divers. Most believe it’s the best in the world. However, people still don’t know much about the massive cavern.

What It Holds

While it’s not the biggest marine sinkhole in the world (Dragon Hole in China holds the title), it’s pretty huge. The Great Blue Hole can fit about two Boeing 724 planes in it and have more room to spare. Since it’s so big, it’s hard to know what’s inside.

Unveiling the Mystery

Richard Branson is an English entrepreneur and the founder of Virgin Group. He was fueled to learn more about it by his adventurous spirit and support for marine conservation. Therefore, he dedicated much of his life to understanding the mysteries contained in the hole.

Joining Forces

Branson has been credited with many adventures and discoveries, but he needed help. Therefore, he joined with Fabien Cousteau, Jacques’ grandson. The pair hoped to finish what the man had already started.

3D Imaging

The goal of the expedition was to understand the hole and use 3D imaging to get a better picture. The technology would give them the tools needed to develop a map that detailed the interior of the sinkhole.

Aquatic Life

Though the men wanted to map the sinkhole, they also wished to test the water quality and oxygen levels in the Great Blue Hole. That would give them an idea of the aquatic life they might expect to see.

The Dead Zone

The men truly wanted to explore the dead zone, which was an oxygen-depleted area. Branson and Cousteau thought the zone was the base of their sinkhole. However, most people wondered why they were interested in the place and its conditions.

Preserved Life

If the theory was right, it might uncover clues about the Mayan civilization. In the dead zone (anoxic area) at the bottom, nothing would degrade. Therefore, the explorers might find preserved life clues.

Crushed by the Water Pressure

The men wanted to explore the sinkhole themselves but were met with a huge problem. Humans generally can’t dive over 130 down before getting crushed by the water pressure. They would have to overcome this if they wanted to venture down there.

Captain Erika Bergman

The explorers talked to Captain Erika Bergman and asked to use her Stingray 500 because it was stronger and had advanced technology. With it, they could dive down to over 500 feet. Likewise, they could capture HD recordings of the wonderful adventure.

Lighthouse Reef

A team of cinematographers carefully planned the exploration with Cousteau, Branson, and Bergman. On December 2, they started the adventure to Lighthouse Reef, and the whole thing was broadcasted to viewers around the world.

Darkness

The Great Blue Hole’s water appears clear, but the depths are completely dark. The team had to go deeper without being able to see much. However, they were shocked at what they would discover.

Sharks

Many fish kept up pace with the team. Most of them were common ocean dwellers, but the team also spotted exotic species, such as Midnight Parrotfish. They also looked for hammerheads and bull sharks because those were prone to prowl the water.

Mapping the Hole

Immediately, the team started mapping the dimensions of the hole when the vessel got to the cavern floor. However, they all noticed something odd after a few moments of working.

The Strange Opening

The group approached this strange opening and noticed the treasure of the exploration. The discovery wouldn’t have meant much if they hadn’t learned of a special feature in the cave system. Finding it that far down was the oddity.

Stalactites

They found stalactites. The team ran tests on the rock formations, and they were found to be over 150,000 years old. Why was that so strange? Generally, stalactites can only form in the dry caves, but they were underwater!

Something Remarkable

This was a remarkable discovery! The explorers learned that the Great Blue Hole had been part of a bigger cave system. It had probably formed on dry land. Though it was a beautiful site, it led to a bigger concern.

Global Warming

Since the Great Blue Hole was submerged in the water, this clearly indicated that Earth was gradually warming up, which caused the rising sea levels. Was it a sign that the problem would continue to affect the planet?

Protecting the Oceans

Richard Branson and his team believe that’s the case. He’s focused on helping to protect 30 percent of the oceans by 2030. It’s the best time to ensure that the ocean covers two-thirds of the planet or more, and that’s what he hopes to do.