Debunking the Bermuda Triangle: Simple Facts
Jorge Thompson
Debunking the Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular area in the Atlantic Ocean right off of the southeast coast of the United States. Legend has it that many people, ships, and planes have mysteriously vanished in this area because of the area’s mystical properties. These properties have formed several theories for the disappearances. They carry little validity and fail to take into account simple scientific and logical facts. The Bermuda Triangle can be easily explained by simple facts and there is no mystery that needs to be solved. The Bermuda Triangle legend began when several Navy planes vanished on a training mission during a severe storm in 1945. The legend continued to grow over the years as many more vehicles disappeared in the area. Instead of attributing the accidents to natural storms or instrument error, believers explain the incidences as the acts of evil extraterrestrials, residue crystals from Atlantis, magnetic fields, or methane gas. The easiest way that the Bermuda Triangle can be disproven is by investigating the assumptions of the believers. Some of the explanations for the Bermuda Triangle seem to be scientific in nature. The magnetic disturbance and methane gas explanations both use scientific language in order to assert the claims. The theories are not substantiated by the mere use of scientific language. In fact, they are discredited after finding that there is not any evidence behind them. The magnetic theory is easily disproven. The Bermuda Triangle is claimed to be one of the two places on earth that a magnetic compass points toward true (and not magnetic) north. The difference between true and magnetic north is known as compass variation and can cause variations as much as 20 degrees. The area where true and magnetic north are equal is called the Agonic Line. This line is supposedly the cause of the anomalies in the triangle. The Agonic Line moves slowly over time as it responds to the Earth’s
Debunking the Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular area in the Atlantic Ocean right off of the southeast coast of the United States. Legend has it that many people, ships, and planes have mysteriously vanished in this area because of the area’s mystical properties. These properties have formed several theories for the disappearances. They carry little validity and fail to take into account simple scientific and logical facts. The Bermuda Triangle can be easily explained by simple facts and there is no mystery that needs to be solved. The Bermuda Triangle legend began when several Navy planes vanished on a training mission during a severe storm in 1945. The legend continued to grow over the years as many more vehicles disappeared in the area. Instead of attributing the accidents to natural storms or instrument error, believers explain the incidences as the acts of evil extraterrestrials, residue crystals from Atlantis, magnetic fields, or methane gas. The easiest way that the Bermuda Triangle can be disproven is by investigating the assumptions of the believers. Some of the explanations for the Bermuda Triangle seem to be scientific in nature. The magnetic disturbance and methane gas explanations both use scientific language in order to assert the claims. The theories are not substantiated by the mere use of scientific language. In fact, they are discredited after finding that there is not any evidence behind them. The magnetic theory is easily disproven. The Bermuda Triangle is claimed to be one of the two places on earth that a magnetic compass points toward true (and not magnetic) north. The difference between true and magnetic north is known as compass variation and can cause variations as much as 20 degrees. The area where true and magnetic north are equal is called the Agonic Line. This line is supposedly the cause of the anomalies in the triangle. The Agonic Line moves slowly over time as it responds to the Earth’s
Cited: The Bermuda Triangle. Naval History and Heritage Command, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq8-1.htm>. Deming, David. “Can a Bubble Sink a Ship.” Journal of Scientific Exploration 18.2 (2004): 311. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_18_2_deming.pdf>. Rosenberg, Howard. “Exorcising the Devil’s Triangle.” Sealift June 1974: n. pag. Print. Shermer, Michael. Why People Believe Weird Things. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002. Print.