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Line 39: − == Natural explanations ==+ − ===Methane hydrates=== − An explanation for some of the disappearances has focused on the presence of vast fields of [[methane]] hydrates on the [[continental shelves]]. A [[white paper]] was published in 1981 by the [[United States Geological Survey]] about the appearance of hydrates in the [[Blake Ridge]] area, off the southeastern [[United States]] coast. [http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/hydrates/usgspubs.html] Periodic methane eruptions may produce regions of gas-filled water that are no longer capable of providing adequate [[buoyancy]] for ships. Laboratory experiments carried out in the Monash University in Australia have proven that bubbles can, indeed, sink a scale model ship by decreasing the density of the water [http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/monash-news/2003/bubble.html]; any wreckage consequently rising to the surface would be rapidly dispersed by the Gulf Stream. − + − − ===Compass variations=== − Compass problems are one of the cited phrases in many Triangle incidents; it is possible that people operating boats and aircraft looked at a compass that they felt was not pointing north, veered course to adjust, and got lost quickly. The [[North Magnetic Pole]] is not the [[North Pole]]; rather it is the north end of the earth's magnetic field, and as such it is the natural end where the needle of a compass points. The North Magnetic Pole also wanders. In 1996 a Canadian expedition certified its location by [[magnetometer]] and [[theodolite]] at 78°35.7′N 104°11.9′W; in 2005 its position was 82.7° N 114.4° W, to the west of [[Ellesmere Island]]. − − The direction in which a compass needle points is known as [[magnetic north]]. In general, this is not exactly the direction of the North Magnetic Pole (or of any other consistent location). Instead, the compass aligns itself to the local geomagnetic field, which varies in a complex manner over the Earth's surface, as well as over time. The angular difference between magnetic north and true north (defined in reference to the Geographic North Pole), at any particular location on the Earth's surface, is called the [[magnetic declination]]. Most map coordinate systems are based on true north, and magnetic declination is often shown on map legends so that the direction of true north can be determined from north as indicated by a compass. − − [[Magnetic]] declination has been measured in many countries, including the U.S. The line of zero declination in the U.S. runs from the North Magnetic Pole through Lake Superior and across the western panhandle of Florida. Along this line, true north is the same as magnetic north. West of the line of zero declination, a compass will give a reading that is east of true north. Conversely, east of the line of zero declination the compass reading will be west of true north. Since the North Magnetic Pole has been wandering toward the northwest, some twenty or more years ago the line of zero declination went through the Triangle, giving sailors and airmen a compass reading of true north instead of magnetic north. A sailor not knowing the difference would sail off course without realizing it, ultimately resulting in a vanishing. − − === Hurricanes === − [[Hurricanes]] are extremely powerful storms which are spawned in the Atlantic near the equator, and have historically been responsible for thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars in damage. The sinking of [[Francisco de Bobadilla]]'s Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane. In 1988, [[Hurricane Gilbert]], one of the most powerful hurricanes in history, set back Jamaica's economy by three years. These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle. − − === Gulf Stream === − The [[Gulf Stream]] is an ocean current which flows out of the Gulf of Mexico, then north through the Florida Straits on into the North Atlantic. In essence, it is a river within an ocean, and like a river, it can and does carry floating objects with it. A small plane making a water landing, or a boat having engine trouble will be carried away from its reported position by the current, as has happened to the cabin cruiser ''Witchcraft'' on December 22, 1967, when it reported engine trouble near the Miami buoy marker one mile from shore, but was not there when a Coast Guard cutter arrived.
→Natural explanations
The [[Gulf Stream]] ocean current flows through the Triangle after leaving the Gulf of Mexico; its current of five to six knots may have played a part in a number of disappearances. Sudden storms can and do appear, and in the summer to late fall the occasional [[hurricane]] strikes the area. The combination of heavy maritime and pleasure traffic and tempestuous weather makes it inevitable that vessels could founder in storms and be lost without a trace — especially before improved telecommunications, radar and satellite technology arrived late in the 20th century.
The [[Gulf Stream]] ocean current flows through the Triangle after leaving the Gulf of Mexico; its current of five to six knots may have played a part in a number of disappearances. Sudden storms can and do appear, and in the summer to late fall the occasional [[hurricane]] strikes the area. The combination of heavy maritime and pleasure traffic and tempestuous weather makes it inevitable that vessels could founder in storms and be lost without a trace — especially before improved telecommunications, radar and satellite technology arrived late in the 20th century.
I like Ike.
[[Methane]] also has the ability to cause a piston engine to stall when released into the atmosphere even at an atmospheric concentration as low as 1%.
[[Image:Nazi_Germany_Jack.png]]
==Acts of Man==
==Acts of Man==