Published 18:36 IST, November 29th 2020
'Mysterious' silver monolith found in Utah has now been removed by 'unknown party'
A silver monolith which was found in a remote part of Utah and which promoted theories of alien placement has now disappeared, according to the state’s BLM.
A strange monolith which was found in a remote part of Utah and which promoted theories of alien placement has now disappeared, according to the state’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). While taking to Facebook, the agency said that the tall, silver, shining metal monolith was removed by an “unknown party” sometime on November 27. Thr agency also mentioned that BLM did not remove the structure as it was considered “private property”.
The caption of the post read, “We have received credible reports that the illegally installed structure, referred to as the “monolith” has been removed from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands by an unknown party”.
“The BLM did not remove the structure which is considered private property. We do not investigate crimes involving private property which are handled by the local sheriff’s office. The structure has received international and national attention and we received reports that a person or group removed it on the evening of Nov. 27,” the agency added.
The metal ram was discovered on November 18 by officers from the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau. The officials were flying by helicopter, helping Division of Wildlife Resources count bighorn sheep in southeastern Utah, when they spotted that seemed right out of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. The helicopter pilot, Bret Hutchings, had said that the monolith has been about the “strangest thing” that he came across in all his years of flying.
Hatchings had informed that he was flying for the Utah department of public safety when one of the biologists spotted the metal sheet when they just happened to fly directly over the top of it. The pilot said that the object looked manmade and appeared to have been firmly planted in the ground, not dropped from the sky. Utah’s highway petrol had also shared the images of the monolith and said that the metal ram estimated at between 10ft and 12ft high appeared to be planted deep in the ground.
‘Trip was worth it’
The location of the monolith was not disclosed as officials feared that amateur explorers might get stuck in the wilderness while seeking the object. However, it did not stop some people as they successfully located the monolith, which was tucked in a Redrock slot canyon south of Moab. According to CNN, the trek involved driving during the darkness over rocky terrain and verifying GPS coordinates. At least one explorer got lost at first, but the trip was worth it, they said, even if the monolith wasn’t the work of aliens.
David Surber, who was one the first to view the monolith in person, said, “I had it alone to myself for about 10 minutes in the morning before people started showing up but overall not too crowded you all want to make the journey”.
Updated 18:34 IST, November 29th 2020