Mysterious Monolith In US Desert Reportedly Disappears
Sumaira FH Published November 29, 2020 | 01:00 PM
Los Angeles, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Nov, 2020 ) :A mysterious metal monolith found in the remote desert of the western United States, sparking a national guessing game over how it got there, has apparently disappeared, officials said.
The Bureau of Land Management in Utah said Saturday it had received "credible reports" that the object had been removed "by an unknown party" on Friday evening.
The bureau "did not remove the structure which is considered private property," it said in a statement.
"We do not investigate crimes involving private property which are handled by the local sheriff's office." The shiny, triangular pillar which protruded some 12 feet from the red rocks of southern Utah, was spotted on November 18 by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air.
After landing their helicopter to investigate, Utah Department of Public Safety crew members found "a metal monolith installed in the ground" but "no obvious indication of who might have put the monolith there." - 2020 'reset button' - news of the discovery quickly went viral, with many noting the object's similarity with strange alien monoliths that trigger huge leaps in human progress in Stanley Kubrick's classic sci-fi film "2001: A Space Odyssey." Others remarked on its discovery during a turbulent year that has seen the world gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic, and optimistically speculated it could have a different function entirely.
"This is the 'reset' button for 2020. Can someone please press it quickly?" joked one Instagram user.
"Somebody took the time to use some type of concrete-cutting tool or something to really dig down, almost in the exact shape of the object, and embed it really well," Nick Street, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety told the New York Times.
"It's odd," he added. "There are roads close by, but to haul the materials to cut into the rock, and haul the metal, which is taller than 12 feet in sections -- to do all that in that remote spot is definitely interesting." Some observers pointed out the object's resemblance to the avant-garde work of John McCracken, a US artist who lived for a time in nearby New Mexico, and died in 2011.
His son, Patrick McCracken, told the Times recently that his father had told him in 2002 that he would "like to leave his artwork in remote places to be discovered later." Although officials had refused to disclose the object's location out of fear that hordes of curious sightseers would flock to the remote wilderness, some explorers had been able to track it down.
Instagram user David Surber said he trekked to the monolith using coordinates posted on Reddit.
"Apparently the monolith is gone," he posted later.
"Nature returned back to her natural state I suppose. Something positive for people to rally behind in 2020."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Rock-solid Ruud racks up season-leading win in Barcelona
At UN, Iran says it will make Israel 'regret' reprisals
G7 hears calls for 'critical' Ukraine aid
EU seeks to leverage might to confront China, US challenge
5 Customs officials martyred as their vehicle ambushed by terrorists in D I Khan
Pak-New Zealand match called off due to rain
NHA restores traffic on roads affected by recent rains in Balochistan
China to fully support Pakistan's efforts against terrorism: Ambassador Jiang
U.S. envoy calls on Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
Poland arrests man over suspected plan to kill Zelensky
EU wants to ease youth movement to and from UK
Police foils attempt of supply mainpuri raw material
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
4 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
4 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
5 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur presents program “Eidi Shidi”
8 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur to broadcast Eid programs
10 days ago -
DC, DPO Haripur inspect bus terminals to review fares compliance
11 days ago
-
Second phase of refugees’ repatriation to start after Eidul Fitr vacations
12 days ago -
Reaping bounties as Ramazan culminates
12 days ago -
Digital transformation – a boon or bane
12 days ago -
Plants’ business: Another casualty of climate change
14 days ago -
Eid shoppers prioritize children’s joy over personal comforts
14 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre honoring Pir Hassam din Rashdi to take place on April 1
19 days ago