The Utah Monolith
A shiny metal pillar was found standing in a remote Utah canyon, and then, just as suddenly, it was gone.
What was reported
On 18 November 2020, state wildlife officers counting bighorn sheep from a helicopter spotted a three-sided, mirror-like metal pillar about 3 metres tall standing in a red-rock canyon in southern Utah. Photographs spread around the world, and comparisons with 2001: A Space Odyssey were immediate.
About ten days later it was gone. Within weeks, similar monoliths appeared in Romania, California and dozens of other places.
Explanations offered
Satellite images showed it had been installed around 2016. A group of men filmed themselves taking it down, saying they were protecting the fragile landscape from crowds. Many of the later monoliths were made by artists and pranksters; who made the first one has never been confirmed.
- When
- 18 November 2020
- Where
- San Juan County, Utah, USA
- Witnesses
- Wildlife officers counting bighorn sheep
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.