In 1972, Scottish biologist Ivan T. Sanderson described a new geography of the globe: «"energy planetary grid"» , based on twelve «"nasty whirlwinds"» Or "devil's graveyards" where "funny things happen." The Bermuda Triangle was at the top of his list. According to Sanderson, hot and cold air and ocean currents in this and other regions create electromagnetic anomalies that ultimately lead to the failure of ships and aircraft.
Six vortices in the Northern Hemisphere and six in the Southern Hemisphere lie primarily in the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The only two that don't are the North and South Poles, but Sanderson himself dismissed them.
Although the theory seems strange, it didn't just come out of nowhere. In fact, it was part of broader parallel "science"« . In fact, he appears to have relied on copies of two "ancient" maps—the Piri Reis and Buache—found in 1929, but dated (allegedly as copies of earlier versions) to 1523 and 1737, respectively. They had a geometry similar to Sanderson's, as well as a detailed study of Antarctica, which was impossible until 1958 . In turn, Sanderson's theory inspired many others - for example, three Soviet scientists who added 50 more sites to its list .
Okay, so that's it. Weird . But as alternative science and history grow in popularity, you're likely to hear a lot more about it. Whether you agree with him or not, here's a brief description of his ten devilish cemeteries, listed in the order he discovered them.
10. 26.57 N 76.80 W (Bermuda Triangle)
Known for its turbulent, unpredictable weather conditions and disappearing ships and planes, the Bermuda Triangle is the most studied place on this list. This is what gave Sanderson pause. Although the official line, which refuses to even acknowledge the existence of the Bermuda Triangle, says that there are no more disappearances here than anywhere else, there is many strange . For example, true north and magnetic north sometimes coincide in the region. It's also the source of many hurricanes, and while much of the ocean is shallow, the areas around Puerto Rico are the deepest in the entire Atlantic. In any case, Sanderson was referring to only one incident: Flight 19.
On December 5, 1945, five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers disappeared without a trace Shortly after takeoff from Fort Lauderdale, the pilots allegedly maintained radio contact with each other for a time, and could be heard wondering where they were and why the ocean looked different. A Martin PBM sailor sent to search for the missing plane also disappeared—according to Sanderson, within 15 minutes.
Despite the fact that Larry Kusche "debunked"« , Flight 19 occurred nearly two decades before the term "Bermuda Triangle" entered common usage. An even earlier incident in March 1918 led to the unexplained (to this day) disappearance of the naval collier USS Cyclops, the wreckage of which has never been found.
9. 26.57 N 139.2 E (Devil's Sea)
The next place that caught Sanderson's attention was off the east coast of Japan. Also known as Formosa or Snake Triangle , The Devil's Sea lies at the intersection of three ocean ridges. Like the Bermuda Triangle, it was allegedly the site of numerous disappearances, which Sanderson attributed to hot and cold currents.
The most famous was the research vessel No. 5 Kaiyo Maru, which disappeared in September 1953 along with 31 crew members. But, as Skeptoid points out , since it was in close proximity to an erupting underwater volcano - and debris from the wreckage was found - it's not such a mystery.
At the same time, other ships, including military and fishing vessels, also disappeared. For example, Sanderson was surprised when, having appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, to discuss his theories with skeptic Arthur Godfrey, the latter shared with their stories . These included first-hand reports of instrument failure while flying over the region.
8. 26.57 s. w. 4.8 z. d. (Algerian Sahara)
In Tindouf, Algeria, on the edge of a sea of dunes, lies the next devil's graveyard on the list. This mineral-rich oasis , associated with the "mysterious disappearance of planes "over the Sahara" is a wintering ground for many birds.
The specific location varies depending on the source, most frequently mentioned El Eglab (300 km to the south-east) and the mysterious Djedars - Algerian pyramids or megaliths (1400 km to the north-east). However, given the size of the Bermuda Triangle ( at least 805,000 sq. km ), it actually makes sense.
In fact, Sanderson's interest in the region was initially sparked by reports of the disappearance of two submarines and four small vessels in the Mediterranean Sea — not in the Sahara, but off the northern coast of the country.
7. 26.57 N 67.20 E (Pakistan)
Shortly after the discovery of the Algerian "vortex," Sanderson received a letter stating that disappear over Afghanistan planes with gold . Some of the gold was found, but there was no trace of the planes. Of course, since this is the Afghan-Pakistani border, this is hardly suitable for «The X-Files» . But what was surprising was that the sender of the letter had no idea Sanderson was pursuing this matter. Needless to say, this coincidence led Sanderson to his next diabolical graveyard.
Situated on the border of Sindh and Balochistan north of Karachi, Pakistan, the area where he settled is not too far south (about 100 kilometers as the crow flies) of Mohenjo-Daro, the ancient capital of the Indus Valley Civilization. Although he didn't mention it in his article, the "lost city"—clearly once luxurious and powerful, despite its lack of palaces or temples—remains a mystery for archaeologists . We still don't know who lived there and why they lived there around 1900 BC. disappeared . Presumably, were also found in the city airplane models .
However, in addition to its proximity to Mohenjo-Daro, this place was chosen mainly because it fit Sanderson's emerging planetary grid. Interestingly, it is also connected by a fault line to the Algerian devils' graveyard.
6. 26.57 N 148.80 W (Hamakulia Volcano, Hawaii)
Links to «Hamakulia Volcano» appear exclusively in articles about Sanderson. He doesn't exist in the real world. In fact, there isn't a single known volcano within the coordinates of this vile vortex. However, after identifying four sites along the line of longitude 26.57° north, separated by 72°, the next one had to be here.
Allegedly disappeared over this area aircraft . Arthur Godfrey from The Dick Cavett Show once told Sanderson , that the experimental flight he was supposed to participate in but missed disappeared while he was tracking it on radar. And the pilot, flying over the area with a plane full of passengers, claimed to have lost contact for 560 kilometers. When contact finally returned, he was shocked to learn that no time has passed at all .
As intriguing as these stories are, Hawaiian volcanoes are already mysterious enough. We still don't we know how they are formed . Situated in the center of the Pacific Plate, thousands of kilometers away from any fault lines , they don't agree with what we know about how volcanoes form.
5. 26.57 S 40.80 W (South Atlantic Anomaly)
Having paid attention to the southern hemisphere , Sanderson placed his next vortex southeast of Rio de Janeiro. The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA)—the place where the Earth's magnetic field is weakest, unlike the Bermuda Triangle and so on—is officially recognized a place where "funny things happen." NASA called it «"a pothole in space"» . This is where charged particles from the Sun can penetrate closer to the surface and, as a result, create problems for orbiting spacecraft.
Instruments aboard the International Space Station, Skylab, NASA's space shuttles, and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft are susceptible to failures and premature aging. The Hubble Space Telescope also suffered, spending almost 15 percent of its orbit here. Even astronauts have problems—they report strange «"shooting stars"» in your vision.
While the anomaly doesn't appear to be affecting life on the surface, Sanderson claimed to be aware of "disturbing disappearances" in the region. It also appears to be growing. According to NASA, the SAA is "expanding westward" and splitting into "two lobes, posing additional challenges for satellite missions.".
4. 26.57 S 31.20 E (Eswatini, formerly Swaziland)
Although this devil's graveyard is centered in the Eswatini town of Luyengo on the Maputo River, it is linked to the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, 900 kilometers to the north. It is unclear what "« disturbing disappearances ...off the south-east coast of South Africa" is what Sanderson had in mind here, but the ancient city itself is a mystery.
Built around 900 years ago, it was once a world centre of trade and religion. They were found there artifacts even from China , as well as copper crosses, believed to have been used as currency. The ruins themselves have features we still don't understand. One of them—"the largest prehistoric structure in sub-Saharan Africa"—is a conical tower 10 meters high and 5 meters wide, surrounded by a wall 250 meters long and 11 meters high.
Early (racist European) explorers considered the city of Great Zimbabwe to be so advanced that Africans could never build it . Instead, they believed it was evidence of the existence of a "civilized" (i.e., white) African nation. In any case, for unknown reasons, it was abandoned. in the 15th century .
3. 26.57 S 175.20 E. (Loyalty Islands)
The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago 1,600 km east of Australia. Famous for its cyclones и earthquakes , it is not surprising that one day Here mysteriously disappeared a ship with 75 passengers . This is partly due to the 1,200-kilometre-long New Hebridean Depression, which in some places reaches depth more than 7,500 meters and remains largely unexplored. What we know about it is that it ecologically very different from any other deep-sea trench.
Having collected these objects together as one graveyard of the devil, it is interesting that Here also the whole land "disappeared" . Sandy Island, which has appeared on maps (including Google Earth) for decades, was long thought to exist. Someone must have seen it at some point. But when scientists went there in 2012, they found only open ocean 1,400 kilometers deep.
2. 26.57 S 112.80 W (Easter Island Fracture Zone)
Sanderson found the next vortex , measuring 72 degrees from the South Atlantic Anomaly, which led him to Easter Island and 5900-kilometer zone of the Eastern Rift, on which it is located.
There is little to say about this in terms of documented disappearances, except, of course, the island civilization that built the mysterious Moai. Main theory The explanation for how these people disappeared is that they accelerated ecological collapse. Once they cut down all the trees—for agriculture, fuel, and transporting their cult statues—the soil became depleted, and people began to starve. Rats are believed to have hindered regeneration by eating all the seeds, and disease-ridden European explorers killed any survivors.
Meanwhile, alternative theories suggest that the statues are alive or left by UFOs.
1. 26.57 S 103.20 E (Wharton Basin)
At 72 degrees from the Loyalty Islands is Wharton Basin - «"deadly area" as Sanderson heard, - in northeastern Indian Ocean , 400 km from Sumatra. It is here, on the seabed, riddled with fault zones, many strong earthquakes occur .
It was here that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in 2014. The black box signals narrowed the plane down to a 32-by-16-kilometer region before it went silent forever. The Boeing 777, which disappeared in March of that year, is believed to be buried in the Basin's muddy bottom. However, the region largely unknown , the depths are bottomless, and despite early optimism, the wreckage has still not been found.
Just recently, we learned that Flight 370 didn't fly straight out to sea, but circled for 20 minutes—similar to a "holding pattern" when waiting to land at an airport. Several explanations have been offered: the pilot may have been communicating with the Malaysian government, checking to see if he was being followed, or simply contemplating the situation. But what this new information makes clear is that the pilot—or pilot — was not unconscious, as was previously thought, but «"deliberately sent the plane into oblivion"» . We just don't know why.
Finally, the North and South Poles, as mentioned, are the two final graves of the devil. Proposed by professional pilots, these are places where time "goes a little off." Although Sanderson included them in his grid, he was also largely dismissive of this phenomenon, explaining it away as simple disorientation caused by a faulty compass. Which makes one wonder if his skepticism (which was not out of character ) to give credence to his theory?