what_is_the_bermuda_triangle

You may have heard the tales about ships
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Atlantic Ocean
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The Bermuda Triangle is an imaginary region
in the north Atlantic. It does not appear on
maps, but its boundaries usually are considered
to be the areas between Miami, Bermuda,
and Puerto Rico. What happened in this area
that helped create the legend of supernatural
powers at work in the ocean?
It’s not only ships that have vanished in the
Bermuda Triangle. In 1945, a training squadron
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and planes that disappear mysteriously in this
area, lost without a trace. Maybe someone’s told
you that insurance companies charge more for
ships that sail through this part of the Atlantic
Ocean. Or you may have watched a television
show about how compasses go crazy and
radios stop working here. Some have blamed
mysterious whirlpools, others point to UFOs and
alien kidnappings, while still others argue that the
“Bermuda Triangle” is the site of the lost ancient
city of Atlantis, which continues to claim victims.
One of the best-known disappearances in
this triangle is the U.S.S. Cyclops. This navy supply
ship vanished in 1918. Radio contact was lost, and
no trace of the ship was ever found. In 1963 a
tanker called the Marine Sulphur Queen went
down with no warning, although not without a
trace. A single life preserver was found. The
legend was established even earlier. During
the Revolutionary War, an American ship, the
Saratoga, was lost in this same area.
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Jamaica
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Puerto
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Dominican
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Virgin
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Credits: George Hamblin/Wilkinson Studios, Inc.
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of five torpedo bombers flew into the Triangle.
Radio contact was lost, and the five planes
disappeared. No traces were ever found. In
addition, one of the search planes looking for
the bombers vanished.
unpredictable and extreme changes in weather.
Most Atlantic hurricanes enter the Bermuda
Triangle. The many small islands in this are also a
danger. Unknown shallow areas near islands can
cause ships to run aground and sink.
Why have so many ships and planes left no
trace? Scientists point to several reasons. The
ocean floor in this part of the world contains
many deep areas, or trenches. A ship could
sink into an especially deep one and never be
located. The sandy ocean floor also shifts, and the
changes could quickly cover a wreck.
Torpedo bombers like this one were lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
What is going on? Are the shipwrecks and
plane crashes the result of supernatural forces, or
can they be explained by natural causes? Scary
stories about the Bermuda Triangle attract a lot
of attention and cause goose bumps, but what do
scientists say? They have identified some possible
reasons for the disappearances. The Bermuda
Triangle lies in a powerful ocean current known
as the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream can cause
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People seem to enjoy mysteries. When
scientific explanations are not well understood,
some people turn to exciting supernatural
causes. In fact, there is no evidence that
shows mysterious
DID YOU
disappearances occur
KNOW?
in the Bermuda Triangle
Oceanography is the
more often than in other
scientific study of oceans,
including ocean floors,
parts of the oceans.
life forms in the oceans,
The Bermuda Triangle,
and the movement and
however, continues to
chemical makeup of
ocean waters.
provide thrills and chills.
Credits: © AP Images
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