Explaining the Monolith in Utah
Scientists have always assumed that life exists beyond the planet we call Earth. But even they are baffled by their nature. So when a mysterious shiny monolith simply appears at a remote location amidst arid Utah, it is normal to blame aliens for that. After all, the sci-fi tropes all point towards it. Let’s take a look at why the world is in a frenzy over a mysterious monolith in Utah.
Where is the Utah Monolith Located?
The Utah monolith is a metal pillar located in a slot canyon of red sandstone in northern San Juan County, Utah, United States. It was situated on public property in the Lockhart Basin, a part of Bears Ears National Monument until 2017. Using Maxar satellite images, Dutch journalism Nouska du Saar concluded that the monolith appeared between July 7, 2016, and October 21, 2016. However, it remained unnoticed until 2020 when it was subsequently removed.
Discovering the Utah Monolith
Biologists from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources discovered the monolith while surveying a herd of wild bighorn sheep on 18 November 2020. Even though they posted a picture of the mysterious monolith in Utah on social media, they redacted its precise location. However, Reddit user Tim Slane located the object on Google Earth by contrasting the red-and-white sandstone landscape from the state biologists’ videos with the helicopter’s flight path.
Within days, the masses discovered its location via GPS mapping, followed by the media. On November 27, 2020, four Moab, Utah, residents secretly removed it, handing it to the Bureau of Land Management, after a month.
What is the Monolith in Utah Made Of?
The Utah monolith is 58 cm (23 in) wide on each side and 3 m (9.8 ft) tall above the bedrock. A three-sided, non-magnetic triangular prism, it is composed of riveted sheets of aluminium or stainless steel measuring 3 millimetres (1/8 in). It is hollow inside. The base was covered in silicone caulk or epoxy. When hit, it makes a muffled sound, courtesy of interior insulation. Since it was joined by blind rivets, it can be deduced that it was made by humans, and not aliens as the masses would have you believe. It must be interesting to know that the Utah monolith resembles the Monolith from the film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’
Who Made the Monolith in Utah?
Since its discovery, the mysterious monolith in Utah has been termed a vandal effort by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). However, this act of ‘vandalism’ has been without a culprit for far too long. Associations were made to artist John McCracken (1934–2011), as the monolith was similar to his metallic monoliths in ‘Fair’ (2011). It was also assumed that it was another artist honouring McCracken.
The Utah monolith was also credited to artist Petecia Le Fawnhawk, but she has denied this. At one point, it was pinned on Derek DeSpain, who built similar monoliths. According to the Utah Film Commission, the monolith was never used in a motion picture.
Removing the Utah Monolith
According to BLM, Utah division, the monolith in Utah was taken down on the evening of November 27, 2020, by then unidentified group, consisting of Andy Lewis, Sylvan Christensen, Homer Manson, and an unnamed companion. According to an eyewitness, they pushed the monolith over, broke it apart, and took the fragments away in a wheelbarrow. All that was left was a triangular piece of metal.
More Mysteries?
Since the monolith’s discovery, over two hundred similarly designed monoliths have popped up in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. Out of them, several were purposefully constructed as replicas by small businesses as a PR stunt.
Image Courtesy – India Today
Contributor
