believed to lie beneath the ocean bottom between Bermuda and the US East Coast.

It is thought the reserves are trapped in an ice-like form in the deepest of the world's oceans.

A mixture of water and methane is formed into gas hydrates -- a sort of dirty, grey iceball -- under enormous pressure thousands of feet below the surface of the sea.

When those iceballs melt or are disturbed by sea-bed earthquakes they release pressurised gas that can cause massive eruptions on the sea's surface -- theoretically big enough to engulf ships and, according to one report, even aircraft.

Supporters of theories about the "Bermuda Triangle'' between Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda have theorised that they may be the cause of the disappearance of ships and aircraft in the area.

Currently 19 countries have joined forces to send the research ship Resolution to explore for the gas reserves that could contribute to the earth's energy needs.

Biological Station research scientist Dr. Anthony Michaels said in theory the release of gas could sink a ship, but not an aircraft.

"Gas bubbling up to the surface could theoretically sink a ship, but not an aircraft. However, there is no evidence to show this has happened and it is very unlikely that we would get such a situation.'' He said it was unlikely at the moment that Bermuda would be the Dallas of the gas industry saying it was still far too expensive to extract the gas from the sea-bed.

"The Resolution is going out to see how widespread this gas might be,'' he added. "There is a potential energy source there, but it remains to be seen how it easy it will be to extract it in what is a very hard environment.''