Does loss of gas from gas hydrate account for
extensive ship-sinkings in the "Bermuda Triangle"? Please let me
pose and answer a series of questions.
- Are there large amounts of gas hydrate
in the sea floor sediments on the continental rise off the
southeastern United States (western part of "Bermuda
Triangle"?
Yes, I think that our interpretations and mapping show that.
- Did sea floor sedimentary deposits
collapse because of hydrate processes and cause landslides and release
of gas by eruptions?
Probably, yes.
- Could gas release cause a ship to sink?
Absolutely. If you release enough gas you generate a foam having
such low density that a ship would not be able to displace enough to
float.
- Did gas release related to hydrate
breakdown result in sinking of ships off the southeastern United
States?
No, I don't think so. Evidence suggests that the collapse and
abrupt release of gas related to hydrate breakdown probably occurred
at the end of the glacial episode when ocean water was tied up in
great continental ice sheets and, thus, sea level was lowered. The
lower sealevel caused the pressure on the gas hydrate at the sea floor
to be reduced, which would cause hydrate breakdown and gas release.
This happened about 15,000 years ago or more, when the more
technically advanced men's ships were probably nothing more than
hollow logs.
- Is there a mystery regarding sinking of
ships in the Bermuda Triangle?
No. I was involved in a television program called "The Bermuda
Triangle" that was shown in Britain in about 1992 on Channel 4,
the Equinox Programme and that was produced by John Simmons of
Geofilms. At that time the producers checked with Lloyds of London to
learn whether an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the
triangle. They determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk
there.
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