The Mystery Behind the Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle has been a hot topic for quite some time now. It is a myth that I have heard about but never really understood the story behind it. The idea that planes and boats just magically disappear is intriguing at first but also makes you a bit suspicious when searching for scientific evidence. There are many different stories that have been told about the mysterious Bermuda Triangle disappearances. Many authors have written books about this mystery including Charles Berlitz. The Bermuda Triangle which is also known as the Devils Triangle is a section in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, essentially if you draw a line from Miami to Puerto Rico and then to Bermuda it will form a triangle. A number of boats and airplanes including flight 19(five Navy airplanes on a training mission), have supposedly vanished when passing through this infamous area. Many people have accredited these mysterious vanishing to paranormal activity, UFOs, and alien abductions. But many skeptics have a different viewpoint when explaining the vanishings and attribute it to natural causes. Some of the paranormal explanations are interesting but not too convincing. Some theories point to leftover technology from the legendary continent of Atlantis (which is in the region of the Bermuda Triangle). Others point to alien abductions of the aircrafts and boats (Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg). The natural causes seem to make more sense when examining the disappearances. These causes include human error, storms especially hurricanes, Gulf Stream, and methane hydrates. Human error can come with any horrific event because no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Storms especially hurricanes are common for this area. While most of the time the weather is very nice and ideal for aircrafts and boats sometimes storms can strike out of nowhere. A lot of these disappearances occurred during times when they did not have the advanced technology and radar that we have today. The Gulf Stream is a strong current that runs from the Gulf of Mexico to Florida. Perhaps this is the reason little evidence from these tragedies were found. Methane hydrate is a natural gas that may have been present on the oceanic floors. If Methane eruptions occur it could cause a boat or ship to sink quickly.

In conclusion the mystery of the Bermuda triangle may not be a mystery at all. There are several natural causes that can explain these occurrence rather than alien abductions. A lot of the stories of the Bermuda Triangle have been embellished and exaggerated to make for a better story. But it is clear the Bermuda Triangle mystery is just another myth in American culture.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm