Public security personnel flying over southeastern Utah found an “unusual” monolith in a remote part of the state. The elegant metal structure embedded in the ground is at least 10 feet high and no one seems to know how it got there.
The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) said Monday that the Aero Bureau and wildlife resources officers counted large-horned sheep in the Red Rock Country area last week when they spotted the facility and landed nearby to conduct further investigations.
Utah DPS
Videos and photos posted by DPS show the staff is discovering the metal monolith. At one point, one of the DPS officers climbed on the climber’s shoulder, stretching slightly over the top of the structure.
According to the DPS, there is no “obvious reference” to who put it there, and its origins remain a mystery for the time being.
Utah DPS
Bret Hutchings, pilot of the DPS helicopter, said KSLTV that the inexplicable 10-12 foot tall structure is “the strangest thing I’ve come across out there during any year of flight.” However, he had some theories about what could be.
“I’m assuming it’s some new wave artist or something like that. Or you know, someone who was a big fan of ‘2001: Space Odyssey,'” Hutchings said.
The object is similar to the black monument to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, which comes from an invisible alien civilization.
According to the DPS, it is illegal to install art structures in federally managed areas without permission, “regardless of which planet they come from.” The Land Management Bureau is investigating further.
“Somehow we joked that if one of us suddenly disappears, the others will run for it,” Hutchings told the station.
The ministry said it would not reveal the location of the monolith because the structure is located in a remote area and tourists could claim rescue if they get stuck.
