Bermuda Triangle: Death Trap or Fake News?

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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The Bermuda Triangle is an area of the Atlantic Ocean that lies between Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Miami, Florida.

It has been the scene of instrument failures, accidents, and mysterious disappearances since 1492!

When Christopher Columbus' ships sailed through this area, the sailors saw strange glowing balls of light in the sky, their compasses pointed in the wrong direction, and the sea rose as if in a storm, although there wasn't any wind!

Since then, many stories of strange occurrences in the Bermuda Triangle have been recorded.

Explore some of the stories and start solving the mystery!

Read about 10 Disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. After reading each story, write down your best guess as to whether this was a mysterious disappearance or an explainable tragedy.

• Did you write your best guess for each story?

Great! Now, explore some solutions to the mystery people have put forward.

Some Possible Solutions to the Mystery

Many proposed solutions exist to these instrument problems, strange phenomena, disappearances, and deaths.

Here are some of the more unusual explanations.

There are many scientific explanations as well.

Explore more scientific explanations with the short videos below.

Rogue Waves

Watch the following video to learn about the rogue waves theory.

Magnetic Fields

The next video discusses magnetic fields.

Coral Reefs

A scientist in Bermuda discusses the dangerous coral reefs in the area in the video below.

The last theory is that there is no mystery.

Every day worldwide, ships sink, and planes go down. Bad equipment and human error can be blamed for many accidents, and the wreckage is often never found. The Bermuda Triangle is not a mysterious place. It is just like everywhere else.

• But what about the strange, bright balls of light that Christopher Columbus and other travelers through the Bermuda Triangle described?

Science can explain that one, too!

It was likely a rare type of lightning known as ball lightning, explained in this video.

• So what do you think?
• Is the Bermuda Triangle a mysterious death trap for ships and planes, or a fake news story?
• Which is your favorite theory of explanation?

Move on to the Got It? section for a little more information and a chance to express your opinion!