Sound MysteriesâSound Mysteriesâ is a Gizmodo series in which we explore weird or unexplained sonic phenomena. In 1997, scientists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were recording the sounds of underwater volcanic activity when they picked up a noise that was so incredibly loudâlouder than any underwater sound ever detectedâthat they initially thought it must be an equipment malfunction. But then another underwater microphone picked up the same noise... over 3,000 kilometers away.
What could have created such a sound? No living animalâat least, no known creatureâcould have produced it. The U.S. Navy denied any doing testing in the area. When a sped-up recording of the sound went public, it soon became known as âthe bloop,â and conspiracy theories abounded. Years later, scientists finally did discover the true nature of the massive noise. In the second episode of our new series âSound Mysteries,â we look into the case of the mysterious underwater bloop.
Correction: A previous version of this blog incorrectly referred to âNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Associationâ instead of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We regret the error.
