Bermuda Triangle conspiracy theories have reignited online after scientists announced a startling discovery.
Geologists revealed they had found a vast stone structure beneath Bermuda that is ‘unlike anything else on Earth’.
The researchers say there is a simple, natural explanation – but that hasn’t satisfied the internet–dwelling conspiracy theorists who have flooded social media.
One X user said: ‘Are we finally gonna stop pretending the city of Atlantis vanished ‘without a trace’?’
Another added: ‘The Bermuda triangle is the gate to Atlantis.’
And one imaginative social media user asked: ‘Is that where all the aliens live that take all the planes and humans that fly over to study them?’
Although many of the theories are bizarre, psychologists say these intense reactions are part of how some people are driven to respond to unfamiliar information.
Dr Daniel Jolley, an expert on conspiracy theories from the University of Nottingham, told Daily Mail: ‘The Bermuda Triangle is a perfect recipe for conspiracy–style thinking because it taps directly into core psychological needs.’
Conspiracy theories have been reignited online after scientists discovered a 12.4–mile–thick (20km) layer of rock beneath Bermuda that is ‘unlike anything else on Earth’ using seismic studies (illustrated)
While the science is clear that the rocky structure beneath Bermuda is natural, conspiracy theorists have been quick to offer their own wild suggestions
Meanwhile, some internet–dwelling conspiracy theorists have seen the discovery of the rocky structure as evidence for the existence of a lost civilisation like Atlantis
The Bermuda Triangle has long been surrounded by mystery and speculation thanks to stories of disappearing ships and planes.
Some believe that a mysterious force in the water between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda causes navigation systems to fail and vessels to sink without a trace.
Although scientists point out that there’s no evidence this is the case, famous shipwrecks like that of the USS Cyclops have cemented this idea in the public imagination.
Conspiracy theorists have tied the supposed mystery of the triangle to all manner of bizarre theories.
So, as researchers announced their geological discovery, these wild theories have once again flared back to life.
For many, the discovery of the rock structure was clear evidence for the existence of an advanced lost civilisation like the city of Atlantis.
On X, one commenter wrote: ‘What if a highly advanced civilization that is many millions of years old built an underground centre of the earth lair to live and survive and they are still there? It explains them poaching people that enter the Bermuda triangle as well.’
While another joked: ‘Babe wake up, they found Atlantis.’
On social media, commenters reignited old conspiracy theories that the Bermuda Triangle hides the gateway to Atlantis
One commenter even joked that scientists had ‘found’ Atlantis at last
Meanwhile, other conspiracy theorists speculated that the rocky plate must have something to do with aliens, with one writing: ‘That’s where the mothership is’.
Some online theorists took the opportunity to launch into even wilder speculation.
One enthusiastic commenter suggested: ‘It’s a portal to hell, protected by demonic principalities, witches and wizards. There are cities beneath the oceans run by evil demons.’
Some people even connected the discovery to a bizarre theory that every NASA rocket actually lands in the Bermuda Triangle to avoid revealing that the Earth is really flat.
A flat Earther wrote on X: ‘Oh look, the mysterious triangle where they land all the space shuttles as they don’t go into space as they would hit the glass ceiling’
‘NASA – specializing in one–way trips to the Bermuda Triangle since 1958,’ another chimed in.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Jolley explained why the Bermuda Triangle has attracted so many conspiracy theories throughout the years.
‘When events feel random or chaotic, people want to feel that someone or something is in control. Even a malevolent force is more comforting than randomness,’ he explained.
Some social media users even tied the discovery into a bizarre theory that NASA’s rockets are fired into the Bermuda Triangle to hide the fact that the world is flat
Scientists say that the Bermuda Triangle’s history of mysterious shipwrecks makes it a natural target for conspiracy theorists
‘And socially, being part of a group that “knows the truth” about the Triangle offers a distinct identity: insiders versus the naïve majority.’
However, as speculation about the discovery beneath Bermuda spread online, an entirely new conspiracy theory appears to have emerged.
On social media, many conspiracy theorists have started to speculate that the discovery of an unusually thick rock slab was somehow concocted to ‘distract’ the public from the release of the ‘Epstein files’.
The so–called Epstein files are a massive trove of investigative documents related to the billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which are due to be released by the US Justice Department by Friday.
A commenter wrote: ‘Bringing up 30 year old conspiracies. How bad are the Epstein files.’
‘The Epstein files are so bad they are bringing the Bermuda Triangle back,’ suggested another.
One social media user even joked: ‘Bermuda Triangle must be hiding the Epstein files.’
According to Dr Jolley, this habit of seeing connections between unrelated events is a common feature of the conspiracy theorist psychology.
The discovery even prompted some social media users to suggest a new conspiracy theory. Claiming that the geological discovery was somehow intended to be a distraction from the release of the so–called Epstein files
One commenter even suggested that the Epstein files might be ‘hiding’ in the Bermuda Triangle
According to psychologists, conspiracy theories tend to be drawn into a cohesive ‘worldview’, making it seem natural to connect the fictional mystery of the Bermuda Triangle to the real crimes of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (pictured)
He says: ‘Conspiracy beliefs tend to merge into a broader worldview. When someone adopts a lens that says, “elites lie” or “official accounts are fake,” unrelated theories suddenly feel coherent.
‘The specific subject matters less than the common structure: secretive agents, hidden truth, suppressed evidence.’
This is what makes conspiracy theories so difficult to challenge and enables them to spread so rapidly on social media.
Professor Karen Douglas, an expert on beliefs in conspiracy theories from the University of Kent, told Daily Mail: ‘It is easy to find and share conspiracy theories on social media. People who are interested in conspiracy theories can find them almost immediately, and they can spread rapidly.
‘Once conspiracy theories are out there, they are difficult to quell, especially when some of the facts are still unknown.
‘Even after that, once people believe in a conspiracy theory, it is often difficult to convince them otherwise.’
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
The Bermuda Triangle is a section of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico where dozens of ships and airplanes have disappeared.
Unexplained circumstances surround some of these accidents.
Although a range of strange theories have been proposed regarding the Bermuda Triangle, none of them prove that mysterious disappearances occur more frequently there than in other well–travelled sections of the ocean.
Many people navigate the area every day without incident.
