File this under "The Cruel Sea":Methane Bubbles Could Sink Ships
Methane bubbles from the sea floor could, in theory, sink ships and may explain the odd disappearances of some vessels, Australian researchers reported on Tuesday.Posted by Vanderleun at October 28, 2003 9:37 AMThe huge bubbles can erupt from undersea deposits of solid methane, known as gas hydrates....
"A recent survey revealed the presence of a sunken vessel within the center of one particularly large eruption site, now known as the Witches Hole."
"One proposed sinking mechanism attributes the vessel's loss of buoyancy to bubbles of methane gas released from an erupting underwater hydrate," they wrote." The known abundance of gas hydrates in the North Sea, coupled with the vessel's final resting position and its location in the Witches Hole, all support a gas bubble theory."
