For centuries, ships and planes have been mysteriously disappearing in this stretch of ocean between Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda coined as “The Bermuda Triangle”. Many theories have risen over the years regarding explanations for all the incidents that have occurred. And yet there is still no concrete evidence to prove that any hypothesis could be correct. It’s all speculation when it comes to The Bermuda Triangle. One article gives various possible options to explain the disappearances in The Bermuda Triangle. All ten are the most commonly found theories behind the Triangle.

Some of the more supernatural ideas given are alien abductions, a rip in the Space-Time Continuum, and the City of Atlantis. Aliens have a stereotypical reputation of abducting humans, so some believe that aliens could have beamed up ships and planes into space, or that there are underwater aliens. The Space-Time Continuum theory says that there could exist a wormhole in the Triangle. This wormhole could lead to any place at any point in time. The Atlantis theory suggests that the city that sunk underwater was so technologically advanced that “their civilization could have the power to disrupt the electromagnetic field, sink ships, down aircraft, and salvage sunken wreckage.” Of course there are also hypotheses with more of a scientific explanation.

A more recent theory proposes that rogue tidal waves could be sinking the ships. These waves can grow to over 150 feet and are completely unpredictable. They are also capable of bringing down any low-lying airborne vehicle. “‘No one really has an adequate explanation as to why you would get freak waves in the middle of the ocean,’ study researcher Thomas Adcock, of the University of Oxford, told LiveScience. ‘Our real objective in studying these is eventually we would say, this particular sea state is particularly susceptible to freak waves.'” The Triangle is an area which these waves are more prevalent due to the Gulf Stream and hurricanes. Even the hurricanes themselves can destroy the vehicles passing through the Triangle; however, nowadays, with modern technology, experienced travelers can easily maneuver around these storms even though the Triangle is at the heart of “Hurricane Alley”. The Gulf Stream running through the triangle is so strong that any ship or plane wrecks can be swept away, clearing any evidence that could be discovered.

Present under the ocean’s surface are pockets of methane gas, methane hydrates, trapped inside crystallized water structures. These methane hydrates can be at any level of the sea, no matter what elevation, and they can possess huge amounts of potential energy. When the methane gas is released, it has the capability to decrease the water’s buoyancy drastically; consequently, a ship around these eruptions of methane would be sunk in a matter of seconds. These occurrences have been known to take down entire oil rigs.

Years of space exploration and geological research have made it clear that mascons, or mass concentrations, exist under any celestial bodies. Of course, not each mascon is the same, some are minuscule and very powerful, they all differentiate in certain aspects. It is a plausible idea that there are tiny “yet unbelievably dense and powerful, positive mascons peppered under the seafloor throughout the Triangle”. The gravitational pull from the mascons, with help from rough waves forcing boats downward, can drag a vessel below the surface. Also, “since air is a much thinner medium than water, a mascon’s effect is even greater on aircraft[s]”.

Although their are many conceivable explanations for the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, there is always human error that can be cause. There are many stories that have been documented, all with no clear end. A journalist, Larry Kusche, who wrote The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved in 1975, disproved many published works on the subject. He came to the discovery that most of the stories were false due to poor research being conducted; therefore, Kusche concluded that the Triangle had just as many disappearances as any other “similarly trafficked” region. The Bermuda Triangle is almost solely based on anecdotal evidence thus only enabling weak inferences on the subject. The theories also involve some supernatural elements that are unlikely. I’m sure the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, if there even is one, will not be solved for a long time, if ever.