Mysteries Department
Sign inRequest access

Questions

Research questions are the building block of our platform of scientific inquiry. Key questions are the ones at the heart of a mystery; every other question helps answer one of them.

5questions0answered0with no evidence yet
All mysteries
Bloop and NOAA's unexplained ocean sounds
Bloop and NOAA's unexplained ocean sounds2 key questions · 5 questions · 0 answered
Open the mystery
QuestionWhere it stands
KeyWhat made the loud unidentified sounds recorded by NOAA's Pacific hydrophones in the 1990s?
Most likelyAll of them are natural geophysical or cryogenic sounds (icequakes, grounding icebergs, volcanic eruptions…
Was the Bloop an icequake, and from which iceberg?
Most likelyThe Bloop was one or more icequakes from a large iceberg cracking somewhere between Bransfield Strait and the…
Were Train, Slow Down and Julia made by icebergs grounding on the seafloor?
Most likelyAll three were produced by large icebergs settling on or dragging across the seafloor
Where did Whistle come from?
Most likelyWhistle was an eruption signal from a distant submarine arc volcano
KeyWhat produces the Upsweep?
Open4 answers, none ahead