Modern Mysteries

Could methane explain the Bermuda Triangle ?

By T.K. Randall
March 14, 2016 ·  30 comments

Could a release of methane from the ocean floor sink a ship ? Image Credit: NOAA Scientists from the Arctic University of Norway have this week revealed the existence of several underwater craters at the bottom of the Barents Sea, some measuring up to 800m across.

The researchers believe that these craters once contained extensive buildups of methane gas.

"Multiple giant craters exist on the sea floor in an area in the west-central Barents Sea... and are probably a cause of enormous blowouts of gas," the team told the Sunday Times. "The crater area is likely to represent one of the largest hot spots for shallow marine methane release in the Arctic."

The discovery's relevance to the Bermuda Triangle mystery lies in what takes place when a ship happens to be sailing above one of these methane buildups at the time it is being released."There is a (theory) that the Bermuda Triangle is a consequence of gas hydrates reactions," said Igor Yelstov from the Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Gas Geology and Geophysics.

"They start to actively decompose with methane ice turning into gas. It happens in an avalanche-like way, like a nuclear reaction, producing huge amounts of gas."

"That makes the ocean heat up and ships sink in its waters mixed with a huge proportion of gas."

It isn't clear however how this would account for reports of planes going missing over the region.

Source: News.com.au | Comments (30)

Tags: Bermuda Triangle