Mysterious Monolith Discovered Deep In Desert Found On Google Earth
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The mysterious monolith discovered deep in the remote Utah desert has created quite the global head-scratcher since it was found by a sheep-counting crew on 18 November.
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But while we've all been pondering why it's there, or who was behind the strange metal erection, eagle-eyed Reddit users have been a little more proactive - seeing if they could spot it on Google Maps.
Lo and behold, they think they've done it, having spotted the structure here.
Several users shared the coordinates on the thread, including one called AntiTourismDeptOfAK, who wrote: "Someone else found it. Interestingly enough this is exactly where I was looking. There's a nearby road and a potential ATV trail leading to it. If I were looking for someplace spooky to put my art installation it'd probably be there. If this were 300 miles into the desert I'd be more intrigued."
Others have been trying to work out how long it's been there, with another adding: "In the downloadable version of Google Earth you can look at historical imagery as well. August 2015, it's not there. October 2016 it is there."
"It is in a very remote area and if individuals were to attempt to visit the area, there is a significant possibility they may become stranded and require rescue," its website says.
An official statement from the Bureau of Land Management adds: "Although we can't comment on active investigations, the Bureau of Land Management would like to remind public land visitors that using, occupying, or developing the public lands or their resources without a required authorization is illegal, no matter what planet you are from."
The object was discovered last week, when the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter was assisting Utah Division of Wildlife Resource officers as they counted bighorn sheep on Wednesday.
One of the crew spotted something out of place among the remote terrain below, with pilot Bret Hutchings telling KSL TV: "One of the biologists is the one who spotted it and we just happened to fly directly over the top of it.
"He was like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, turn around, turn around!' And I was like, 'what?' And he's like, 'There's this thing back there - we've got to go look at it!'"
Hutchings obliged and turned the chopper around so the team could inspect the strange silver cylinder jutting out of the red rocky ground.
He said: "I'd say it's probably between 10 and 12 feet-high.
"We were kind of joking around that if one of us suddenly disappears, then the rest of us make a run for it.
"We were, like, thinking is this something NASA stuck up there or something? Are they bouncing satellites off it or something?"
Hutchings added: "That's been about the strangest thing that I've come across out there in all my years of flying."
Featured Image Credit: Google Earth
