| Bloop | |
|---|---|
 Bloop sound recording. | |
| Cryptid Information | |
| AKA | N/A |
| Year First Seen | 1997 |
| Biological Class | N/A |
| Authenticity Status | Authentic |
| Location | South American Ocean |
The "Bloop" is the name given to an ultra-low frequency and extremely powerful underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) several times during 1997. The source of the sound remains unknown.
The sound, traced to somewhere around 50° S 100° W (a remote point in the south Pacific Ocean west of the southern tip of South America), was detected repeatedly by the Equatorial Pacific Ocean autonomous hydrophone array, which uses U.S. Navy equipment originally designed to detect Soviet submarines.
According to the NOAA description, it "rises rapidly in frequency over about one minute and was of sufficient amplitude to be heard on multiple sensors, at a range of over 5,000 km."
The NOAA's Dr. Christopher Fox does not believe its origin is human, such as a submarine or bomb, nor familiar geological events such as volcanoes or earthquakes. While the audio profile of the bloop does resemble that of a living creature, the source is a mystery both because it is different from known sounds and because it was far too loud: it was several times louder than the loudest known biological sound. Five other significant unexplained sounds have been named by NOAA: Julia, Train, Slowdown, Whistle, and Upsweep.
Dr. Christopher Fox of the NOAA speculated that the Bloop may be ice calving in Antarctica. A year later Dr. Fox was paraphrased speculating it was likely animal in origin.
Mer-People are now suspected to be the cause of the Bloop. The HP Lovecraft creature Cthulhu has jokingly suspected to be the cause as well, even if Cthulhu cults take it seriously.