Mysterious Monoliths Appear Worldwide
Mysterious monoliths are popping up in the US and Europe, spawning wild theories and puzzling authorities. The latest monolith appeared and then quickly disappeared from a mountaintop in California this week — and it looks just like the ones that were found in Utah and Romania in November.
Details of the Latest Monolith
The latest monolith was found on Tuesday on Pine Mountain in Atascadero, located on the central Californian coast. “The three-sided obelisk appeared to be made of stainless steel, 10-feet tall and 18 inches wide,” the Atascadero News reported. However, just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. On Thursday morning it was gone, and nobody is claiming responsibility for taking it down.
Origins of the Monoliths
The California structure is similar to the Utah and Romania monoliths in appearance and also shares a mysterious origin: nobody knows where they came from. The Utah monolith was first discovered during an annual count of bighorn sheep on November 18 by authorities. Having spotted it from the sky, the helicopter pilot and wildlife officers decided to investigate further and found a metal monolith installed in the ground in a remote area of red rock.
Speculation and Theories
There was no obvious indication of who might have put the monolith there, although people have compared it to the work of various minimalist sculptors, including the late John McCracken. Speculation even arose suggesting that the structure could have been placed there by extraterrestrial beings. The pilot, Bret Hutchings, examined the metal slab and assumed it was installed by an artist or a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Disappearance of the Utah Monolith
Just as the wild theories were gathering steam, the Utah monolith disappeared on November 27. It was taken “by an unknown party” according to the federal Bureau of Land Management’s Utah office. This “unknown party” appears to be local outdoor stuntman Andy Lewis, who claimed responsibility for the removal with a video posted to YouTube. In the grainy footage, Lewis and a team can be seen dismantling the three-sided structure. It remains unclear whether they had any part in the installation process.
The Future of Monoliths
Will another monument make an appearance? Recently, one popped up in the Romanian city of Piatra Neamţ before disappearing again. A pattern seems to be emerging in this global mystery.
This article was first published on November 25 and updated on December 3, 2020.
