Other writers argue that the vortices are connected to subtle matter energy and ley lines. The scientists also posited that our planet is actually a gigantic crystal that resonates at 7 Hz with harmonic focal points at specific equidistant points. They wrote that the Earth’s cosmic energy matrix was divided into twelve pentagonal plates, and at the intersection of any three plates, surges in said energy were responsible for the appearance of unusual life forms, as well as enigmatic ancient civilizations. In 1973, Soviet scientists Nikolai Goncharov, Vyacheslav Morochov, and Valery Makarov published an article called “Is the Earth a Large Crystal?” in which they forwarded the idea that strange energies operate in certain points on our planet. While Sanderson himself banked on the fact that the mysterious disappearances might have been caused by hot and cold air along with sea currents, his idea was quickly picked up and further developed by other believers in the preternatural.