The Arctic Ping
Hunters in the Canadian Arctic heard a strange pinging from the seabed, and the animals they hunted disappeared. The military was sent to listen.
What was reported
In the summer of 2016, Inuit hunters from Igloolik reported a strange beeping or pinging sound coming from under the water in Fury and Hecla Strait, a channel about 120 km away that is usually rich in bowhead whales, seals and walruses. They said the animals had left the area.
In November, the Canadian military sent a patrol aircraft to investigate with acoustic sensors.
Explanations offered
The aircraft searched for over an hour and detected no unusual sounds or submarines, though it did see whales and walruses. Suggestions included sonar surveys by a nearby mining company, which said it had no equipment in the water, and natural sounds of the ice. The source was never confirmed.
- When
- Summer 2016
- Where
- Fury and Hecla Strait, near Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada
- Witnesses
- Inuit hunters near Igloolik
- Status
- Unexplained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.