Scientists in Norway have caused a stir with their announcement this week of giant craters in the Barents Sea, which they believe were formed by exploding natural gas. The scientists have even suggested the phenomenon could explain the mysterious Bermuda Triangle—a highly controversial concept.Researchers at the Arctic University of Norway have described craters off the coast of the country that are up to a half mile (0.8 kilometer) wide and 150 feet (45 meters) deep.
They appear to have been caused by the explosive release of methane, also known as natural gas, that was trapped in the sediment below.Such sudden releases of gas could potentially pose a danger to ships, the scientists note. It might also explain reports of missing ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle, a region of ocean bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. That’s an idea that experts, including Russian scientist Igor Yeltsov, have bandied about in the last few decades.As National Geographic reported in the October publication “Strange But True,” “methane can escape into the air, making the atmosphere highly turbulent and perhaps causing aircraft to crash.”
By Brian Clark Howard
