British scientists believe they’ve solved the mystery of why so many boats have been sunk in the infamous Bermuda Triangle, according to a FOX News report.
They believe 100-foot “rogue” waves could be responsible, the report says.
The mysterious body of water, located in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, covers 270,271 square miles between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.
There are multiple shipping lanes that run through the area. The abnormal number of heretofore unexplained accidents has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the last 100 years.
But experts at the University of Southampton think the mystery can be explained by “rogue” waves, a natural phenomenon. They shared their theory on a British documentary called “The Bermuda Triangle Enigma,” using indoor simulators to create the monster wave surges.
Rogue waves, which only last for a few minutes, were first observed by satellites in 1997, off the coast of South Africa. Some of them have been measured at nearly 100 feet high.
The Southampton research team built a model of the USS Cyclops, a huge vessel which went missing in the triangle in 1918, claiming 300 lives.
Because of its sheer size and flat base, the model is quickly overcome with water during the simulation.
Dr. Simon Boxall, an ocean and earth scientist, says that infamous area in the Atlantic can see three massive storms coming together from different directions – the perfect conditions for a rogue wave.
Boxall believes such a surge in water could snap a boat, such as the Cyclops, in half.
He said: “There are storms to the south and north, which come together.
“And if there are additional ones from Florida, it can be a potentially deadly formation of rogue waves.
“They are steep, they are high – we’ve measured waves in excess of 30 metres (100 feet).”
