Of course, there is something unusual about the way compasses in the area behave, but the explanation is a perfectly simple matter of geography. To understand it, one must first know why compasses do not always point North. True North, or the North Pole, is the convergence point in this hemisphere for the Earth's magnetic fields. But compass needles can point as much as 22 degrees away from the Pole, due to a massive ore deposit located near Hudson Bay, in Canada. This variation is known as Magnetic North, and is where compass needles actually point. Were we to draw a line from the North Pole to the South Pole, passing through the Magnetic North ore deposit, our line would neatly bisect the Bermuda Triangle. In other words, the Triangle lies at one of the few longitudes on Earth where North really is North. The same effect occurs at the longitude opposite in Japan. According to experts at the Coast Guard, this effect has probably contributed heavily to the disappearances, as an inexperienced navigator would quickly become lost unless this factor was taken into account.