Is the Bermuda Triangle Really Dangerous?

The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most famous areas in the world, associated with many ships and planes that have disappeared without a trace.

Storms at sea can cause accidents to ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle area. Photo: Moviepilot.

According to Live Science, the Bermuda Triangle or "Devil's Triangle" is an area in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, located between the Bermuda Islands, Puerto Rico and Melbourne, Florida, USA, where many ships and planes mysteriously disappeared.

There are many rumors that supernatural forces or aliens in the Bermuda Triangle cause planes and ships in the area to disappear. But according to the Aviation Safety Network and the US Coast Guard (USCG), many of the disappearances are related to storm activity in the area, vehicle damage, or even human error.

The 1945 disappearance

According to the US National Oceanic Administration (NOS), seas and oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, with an average depth of 3,700 m and a deepest point of 11,000 m. Therefore, planes and ships can disappear into the ocean without leaving a trace.

In 1964, reporter Vincent Gaddis used the name "Bermuda Triangle" to name a story published in Argosy magazine, about the unexplained disappearance of Flight 19. This was a fleet of 5 US Navy aircraft and 14 crew members participating in a training course in the Bermuda Triangle area in 1945.

Another Navy plane with 13 crew members was sent to search for Flight 19 but also never returned, Howard L. Rosenberg, a US Navy veteran, wrote about the Bermuda Triangle on the official website of the US Navy (NHHC).

The PBM-Mariner search plane is often called a “flying gas tank” because it is highly flammable, Rosenberg said, and it is likely that the rescuers had an accident involving fire.

Since then, rumors about the Devil's Triangle have been growing. However, the number of disappearances in this area is not significantly higher than other sea routes in the world.

"The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the world. The more ships and planes there are, the more likely they are to have an accident," said Rosenberg.

Weather factors

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tropical storms and cyclones are relatively common in the Bermuda Triangle area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. This may be the cause of many mysterious disappearances in the past, as ships are vulnerable to sudden changes in weather.

The Bermuda Triangle area in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Photo: Wikipedia.

The presence of many islands in the Caribbean Sea creates shallow waters, making it difficult for ships to navigate. If an accident occurs, sharks and barracudas will tear apart the bodies in the water. The Gulf Stream quickly erases any evidence of ship or plane wreckage at the site of an accident or explosion.

"The ocean has always been a mysterious place for humans. When the weather is bad or turns bad, this is a very dangerous place," NOAA experts warn.

Methane gas (CH4)

In March 2016, scientists conducted a detailed study of craters in the Barents Sea, off the coast of Norway. The results showed that the craters could have been formed by ancient methane explosions, after the end of the last ice age, 11,700 years ago. The explosion occurred when the ocean temperature warmed, releasing methane gas from flammable ice (a solid mixture of hydrocarbons and frozen water), causing pressure to build up on the seafloor.

Some media reports have linked the study to the Bermuda Triangle, suggesting that sudden, violent methane explosions create sinkholes or form giant gas bubbles that sink ships.

According to Carolyn Ruppel, a geophysicist and director of the Gas Hydrates Project of the US Geological Survey, the above explanation is likely incorrect.

"We know that you can see methane coming out of the seafloor. It's a fairly common phenomenon," Ruppel said. "Methane leaks are usually quite slow in the ocean. Large-scale gas explosions like those that occurred after the end of the last ice age have not been recorded since."

In fact, most of the methane escaping into the oceans today is converted by bacteria into carbon dioxide (CO₂) before reaching the water surface. "So I don't think there's going to be any major catastrophe in the next few centuries," Ruppel said.

According to VNE