| List of monoliths | |
|---|---|
The first monolith, found in Utah; Monolith in Nurmijärvi, Finland; Monolith near Knappschaftskrankenhaus Lütgendortmund (Germany); Monolith in Sa Conca (Castell-Platja d'Aro) | |
| Year | 2020–2021 |
| Type | Metal sculptures |
| Medium | Stainless steel or aluminum (assumed) |
| Location | Original monolith found in San Juan County, Utah, United States; similar artifacts subsequently reported worldwide |
In late 2020, the appearance of a series of metal columns was reported internationally. Referred to as "monoliths", these sheet metal structures began to be constructed in the wake of the discovery of the Utah monolith, a 3 m (9.8 ft)-tall pillar made of metal sheets riveted into a triangular prism, placed in a red sandstone slot canyon in northern San Juan County, Utah. The structure was placed there sometime between July and October 2016 based on images from Google Earth, but only attracted media attention after it was reported in late November 2020 by state biologists who discovered it during a helicopter survey of wild bighorn sheep.[1][2][3]
Soon after the Utah discovery on November 18, 2020, reports emerged on social media of similar metal columns being found in many other places throughout the world, including locations across North America, South America, Central America and Europe. Over two hundred similar metal columns have been reported from various locations around the world.[4]
The origins of these structures varied; some monoliths were made by artists inspired by news coverage of the original Utah pillar; others, like the two Pittsburgh monoliths, were made by local businesses for promotional purposes. Some monoliths were subsequently removed.[5] Despite the word monolith referring to a single great stone, these sculptures were mostly made from metal, and the name derives from the Monolith that appeared in the 1968 science fiction film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. This connection gave rise to speculation about an extraterrestrial origin, although the phenomenon has also been viewed as a craze or an Internet hoax,[6][7] with a number of features in common with crop circles.[8]
- ^ Asmelash, Leah (November 24, 2020). "Utah helicopter crew discovers mysterious metal monolith deep in the desert". CNN. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Holpuch, Amanda (November 24, 2020). "Helicopter pilot finds 'strange' monolith in remote part of Utah". The Guardian. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ "DPS Aero Bureau Encounters Monolith in Red Rock Country". Utah Department of Public Safety. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Monolith Tracker". Monolith Tracker. November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Bahr, Sarah (December 6, 2020). "California Men Declare Themselves of Pine Mountain Monolith". The New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- ^ "Mystery of the monoliths: if only it were aliens". The Guardian. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Panecasio, Steph (December 7, 2020). "Another mysterious monolith appears, this time in the UK: Everything we know so far". CNET. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Radford, Benjamin (2021). "Like crop circles, mysterious monoliths appear – and disappear". Skeptical Inquirer. 45 (2): 9.