Mysterious Utah monolith mysteriously disappears without trace

The mysterious monolith found in a remote corner of Utah last week has mysteriously disappeared. The Utah Bureau of Land Management took to Facebook over the weekend to report: “We have received credible reports that the illegally installed structure, referred to as the ‘monolith’ has been removed from Bureau of Land …

[Chasola]

Surely the fact that this was announced on the same day the Darth Vader "died" is no coincidence.

Do the math(sic) sheeple.

[jake]

RIP, Green Cross Man.

Remember this one? Came out just about when I first got to England.

[J.G.Harston]

Re: RIP, Green Cross Man.

ALways USE the GREEN cross CODE

Because I won't be THERE when YOU cross the road.

Seared into my memory. :)

[jake]

Clearly the marketing manager at Utah Tourism just got paid double their bonus ...

... but I'm still not buying the new Radiohead album.

_{At this point, does anybody, anywhere, give a shit what Giuliani claims about anything?}

[Arthur the cat]

Re: Clearly the marketing manager at Utah Tourism just got paid double their bonus ...

At this point, does anybody, anywhere, give a shit what Giuliani claims about anything?

I do, but only because I've got a weird sense of humour and a love of Dadaism.

[jake]

Re: Clearly the marketing manager at Utah Tourism just got paid double their bonus ...

Fair enough :-)

Uh ... hang on. Presumably that was not an Amin Dadaism? I mean, Trump is trying (very), but I don't think he'll manage that level of dangerous idiocy, not even with Giuliani's help.

[Ozan]

Re: Clearly the marketing manager at Utah Tourism just got paid double their bonus ...

I didn't know radiohead is still around. Anyway I will not buy new album.

[Nifty]

Re: Clearly the marketing manager at Utah Tourism just got paid double their bonus ...

What new album? Streisand effect...

[steviebuk]

The guys that "found it"

Were the ones that installed it I bet.

[jake]

Re: The guys that "found it"

What, you think that the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources were in cahoots?

Somehow I doubt it.

[Dave 126]

Re: The guys that "found it"

It's reminding me of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, when Will Ferrell's character keeps insisting to the FBI and other law enforcement personnel that he has jurisdiction over the crime scene because he is a wildlife marshall.

[Dave 126]

Re: The guys that "found it"

Posts on Reddit with the alleged coordinates of the artifact suggest that some folk were confident of its location... though no corroborating evidence.

[jake]

Re: The guys that "found it"

"though no corroborating evidence."

Except it's clearly visible on alphagoo's aerial photos.

[Brewster's Angle Grinder]

Re: The guys that "found it"

Do we know when that photo was taken?

[Cederic]

Re: The guys that "found it"

It was not present in 2015 photographs but its shadow was visible in 2016 ones.

[Brewster's Angle Grinder]

Re: The guys that "found it"

Wow! Thanks.

[heyrick]

Re: The guys that "found it"

<looks at map>

<zooms out>

<zooms out>

<zooms out>

<zooms out>

Bloody hell, it's like looking at Mars.

[Cederic]

Re: The guys that "found it"

Utah in some places pretty much redefines 'barren landscape'. It's not all red either, there are areas that are just an off-white colour with no vegetation anywhere.

It's magnificent to drive through and spectacular and frequently very pretty. Well worth a visit.

[Francis Boyle]

In other news

A WW2 bomber has mysteriously reappeared ON THE MOON.

[Arthur the cat]

Re: In other news

The Chinese have a mission to bring it back.

[KBeee]

Re: In other news

And the follow up headline after people with telescopes checked -

"WW2 bomber has mysteriously disappeared from the Moon"

[chivo243]

I read something

there was a trace, writing in the dirt Bye Bitch, and a puddle of urine....

[Brewster's Angle Grinder]

This is why we can't have anything nice...

Which makes me think it was thieves. Probably for scrap metal. But maybe they were trying to fence it to a rich collector.

[Chris G]

I dunno

Anything about the monolith but there were aliens cunningly disguised as foxes, rummaging around in the rubbish container near my house last night.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: aliens cunningly disguised as foxes,

it was squirrels disguised as foxes, you sillybilly...

[Martin Howe]

Wile E Coyote. That's all I'm sayin'

[Anonymous Custard]

Meep meep!

[Dave 126]

Weighed in as scrap?

Was a shoddy Transit van seen in the area?

[John Miles]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

Rummours were there lots of shouts of "cosmic", "git" and "plonker" in area and sightings of a strange yellow three wheeler with Paris, New York written on the side (which local nerd said was a Reliant Regal, but no one listened to him )

[Zimmer]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

An upvote for getting the make and model correct!

(As a former Reliant owner it really grates when I hear somebody call it a Robin Reliant - and it grated having to type it!)

[phuzz]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

"it really grates when I hear somebody call it a Robin Reliant"

That's understandable, you wouldn't want to Rely-on-it and no one would try to Rob-it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

I was about 100 meters offshore when a conrod in the Reliant engine broke and went through the block. Admittedly, the engine was installed in a hovercraft at the time. As they were aluminium alloy and not cast iron blocks, the engine was good for use in a light hovercraft, but were much more stressed due to high revs they were subjected to, rather than pottering about Peckham in a vehicle they were designed for

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

My father used to drive one. Reliants - not hovercraft. Classed as motortricycles so he had to take his test again when he started driving a car with four wheels!

He was involved in an accident and it was written off. As he worked with fibreglass, he just rebuilt it.

[Arthur the cat]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

I was about 100 meters offshore when a conrod in the Reliant engine broke and went through the block.

As opening sentences go, that ranks pretty highly.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

and no one would try to Rob-it.

Not even Robin Hood

[seven of five]

Re: Weighed in as scrap?

In a desert environment, disappearing metal could also be attributed to Jawa thie^H^H^Hraders. Were there tracks of a Czerka Mining Vehicle?

[The Central Scrutinizer]

The AE 35 unit went TITSUP. Oops, wrong planet.

[Potemkine!]

Reconnaissance complete

As you will no doubt be aware, the plans for development of the outlying regions of the Galaxy require the building of a hyperspatial express route through your star system, and regrettably, your planet is one of those scheduled for demolition. The process will take slightly less than two of your Earth minutes. Thank you.

[Nifty]

Re: Reconnaissance complete

Such similar wording, just a more generous notice period, than my recent redundancy notice then.

[Mage]

Monolith?

It's a metal box. Or was.

A monolith is big single piece of stone or rock. Clue in the name.

Loads in Europe. Famous ones in Sweden, France, UK and Ireland, from about 1000 years old (Runestones) to maybe 5,000+ years old. This USA newbie structure now AWOL isn't and can't be called a monolith.

It's insulting to call it a monolith.

[Dabooka]

Re: Monolith?

I believe in the original article in mentioned some outcry to the use of the term monolith.

[cyberdemon]

boo

I am disappointed to learn that this was not a solid ingot of metal.

By it being called a monolith I had assumed as such.

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

"It's insulting to call it a monolith."

a) Artistic license. Just like most of the posts in this this thread ... or indeed, most of the comments here on ElReg.

b) Insulting to whom? The odd lump of stone in Brittany?

[ClockworkOwl]

Re: Monolith?

a) Artistic? That's very generous!

b) Could be sexist to insist it's all menhir...

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

a) I didn't say artistic. I said artistic license.

b) That was awful. Have a beer.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Could be sexist to insist it's all menhir...

femanhir plus.

[Peter Gathercole]

Re: Monolith?

If it was a menhir, look for a large fellow with blue and white striped trousers, red pigtails and a helmet. Often accompanied by a small guy in red red trousers a black top, fair pigtails, and a helmet with wings, and a small black and white dog.

Be careful. They're reputed to be rather strong.

[Mage]

Re: Monolith?

I guess, unless Fay (Sidhe, sìde, elves) installed, all the original monolith installers are dead. There is a reason why they were called the Good Neighbours.

A good point on the lithographic printing, except that's been using metal plates for over 100 years and I'd never heard anyone call a shiny metal box a monolith before last week.

:D

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

I've seen suspension bridge towers described as monolithic. Seems to me one wag (Herb Caen?) described the Golden Gate Bridge as bilithic occasionally.

[phuzz]

Re: Monolith?

I guess that would be the slightly more 'poetic' use of the word to mean something like "singular in it's environment", which coming back full circle is why a pillar of metal could be described as a "monolith".

[heyrick]

Re: Monolith?

I've seen kernels described as "monolithic". They're neither metal nor stone nor solid nor hollow.

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

To be fair, we try to make Kernels as solid as possible. Even monolithic ones.

[Down not across]

Re: Monolith?

They may not be, but they still rock.

Yeah yeah. I'm going.. no need to push.

[Cynic_999]

Re: Monolith?

And all people who self-identify as an odd lump of stone.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Monolith?

I'm offended. You left me out.

Signed

An Even Lump of Stone

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

Sorry! I usually try to be more even handed.

In recompense, I'll pour a beer on you next time I'm in the area.

[Rasslin ' in the mud]

Re: Monolith?

b) Insulting to whom?

Pedants and other vermin?

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

Hey! I resemble that remark!

[Nifty]

Re: Monolith?

Agre. Bet the one in '2001' was hollow too.

[jake]

Re: Monolith?

It was hollow. Cheap plywood on a 2x4 frame, painted black.

[find users who cut cat tail]

Re: Monolith?

Please also tell us about how it's insulting to do lithography with metal plates instead of stone…

[TRT]

Re: Monolith?

If they do find it too distressing, I have a blanket they can stick their head under to offset the problem. Permanently. I print in C, M, Y, K and O+.

[David Roberts]

Re: Monolith?

Is the one in France the Monolitha?

[wolfetone]

Steel box goes missing at the same time Joe Biden breaks his foot.

Co-inky-dink? I think not!

[[e-mail]]

What's Ben Wishaw got to do with it?

Why would George Takei think the British Secret Intelligence Service have anything to do with this?

Maybe it's linked to Desmond Llewelyn's escape plan?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What's Ben Wishaw got to do with it?

I had considered two beings named Q that George Takei might be referring to in USian November 2020. That's wasn't either of them.

[[e-mail]]

Re: What's Ben Wishaw got to do with it?

I didn't mention John Cleese as not many people remember him as Q. But given his history in Star Trek, I suspect Sulu was referring to Jon DeLancey's character from The Next Generation...

[David Webb]

Re: What's Ben Wishaw got to do with it?

Q is a species, as well as a name, all are called Q and are part of the Q, though now the Q has to have at least 2 meters between each of them to maintain their continuum.

[TimMaher]

Re: What's Ben Wishaw got to do with it?

Do they have to stand in a Q?

[jake]

Re: What's Ben Wishaw got to do with it?

I rather think that George was laughing at the twits who believe the 4chan-invented qanon nonsense has any basis in reality beyond the minds of fourteen year old little boys out for lulz at the expense of adults who should know better.

As should we all.

[Martin Summers]

I thought it was some kind of reflective ground marker for a satellite to use. Is there anything special about the coordinates?

I also gathered its use may be military, hence it has been quickly and quietly disappeared.

[Jellied Eel]

Sequels

I thought it was some kind of reflective ground marker for a satellite to use. Is there anything special about the coordinates?

It's in Utah. Rumors that it was a Utah Book Repository & contained words written on gold sheets have yet to be officially denied.

I also gathered its use may be military, hence it has been quickly and quietly disappeared.

I doubt it. Unless some airpersons from Nellis got a bit lost. Which is perhaps easily done given the NAFBC is around 10,000 square miles of assorted sneaky & not so sneaky bits. And the US Military has other large chunks of the US to hide stuff in. I guess you could use targets like this as training exercises for human or machine detection, but my bet is it was an art installation, or maybe part of a geolocation/geocaching challenge.

Or a Vogon traffic cone..

[Dr. G. Freeman]

It's not gone anywhere, it's still where it was.

We've moved.

[seven of five]

So it is a bit like my head feels on a Saturday morning?

[MarkET]

Monolith

Was never there. End of.

[Jim Mitchell]

It is a pop culture reference you are not getting. You never saw 2001?

[The Oncoming Scorn]

I never saw 1962, though I was conceived in it!

[macjules]

Metal slab that looks like something out of 2001 appears and disappears. Makes headlines

And in other news .. Laurence Fox held a lunch party and invited more than 6 people and wrote about it on Twitter.

Isn't life grand?

[Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells]

It's a wanky "art" piece by some self-aggrandising wanker or other.

[Jellied Eel]

Broken clocks

I'm assuming they're not self-aggrandising as no artist has popped up to claim it, and offer the correct interpretation. Then again, it could be on it's way to an auction house or gallery.

But if I'd stol.. I mean acquired this valuable piece of modern art, I'd pitch it as a chronological inconsistency in arrangement. A juxtaposition of events, objects from different time periods. A most uncommon example of an object misplaced in time, a technology, a philosophical idea, and a material, that is placed outside its proper temporal domain*.

So basically a sundial that could be seen from space. As demonstrated by the people who located it by seeing it's shadow in satellite imagery. Reserve price set at $1.5m..

*shamelessly stolen and adapted from wiki

[Scott 53]

It has moved

To Romania. Who had aliens for December 2020? Gutted, because my money was on zombies.

[Anonymous Coward]

advertising

for Toblerone?

[Anonymous Coward]

expect it to resurface

on ebay. Or Sothebys.

[John 104]

Joke is on us

Turns out, Arthur Clark's 2001 and follow up 2010 were not science fiction writings, but actually implanted thoughts delivered by alien overlords. Clark mis-interpreted the message and wrote what he thought was a fiction. That not working, the aliens decided a more direct placement of the message block was in order. Sadly, in a strange mashup of science fiction and reality, the aliens, determining that humans were not the correct vehicle for message deliver after the Clark debacle, instead placed it where the perceived higher life form would discover it. However, a mix-up between deer mouse and common mice is again preventing the correct delivery of the message.

[Version 1.0]

Amazon Shipping Error?

I think that Amazon simply shipped it to the wrong address and when they saw the posts on Twitter they organized a return.

[seven of five]

Re: Amazon Shipping Error?

Nah, if it were to be delivered by Amazon, it would be somewhere halfway across the lawn, dented.

[Prst. V.Jeltz]

It probably left to form a giant ring at the edge of the solar system with all the other ones.

[Trigun]

In that case, for heavens sake remember to around it, not through it!

[Anonymous Coward]

T'was Trump

Since he could not get space at Mt. Rushmore orignally, he decided this was his ultimate resting place. And plonk this lith with the help of Guilliani and his other plonkers.

He will appear as a ghost to haunt Biden & Co. there someday. Mark my words, D. Vader ! It is Trumpistand out there.

[Jason Bloomberg]

Distracted by the shiny thing

Why is no one menthioning the rather obvious face carved into the rock?

Are we just meant to pretend it's not there?

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Distracted by the shiny thing

Shhhhhh!!!!!

[jake]

Re: Distracted by the shiny thing

It's there, but seeing as there are no tool marks or real symmetry, it was most likely wind-carved and is thus just a natural random pattern in the rock. You can see things like this eroded into rocks all over the world, and indeed on the Moon, Mars, and in other places.

Don't worry, pareidolia is considered to be a normal human tendency.

HOWEVER, that is not to say that the face-like image is not part of the reason the thing was erected in that spot in the first place. I personally hope the person(s) responsible owns up to the reason and/or meaning behind the thing, but I'm not holding my breath.

[heyrick]

I went with Giuliani

As each press conference comes and goes, it's becoming more and more obvious that he's not from this world, or indeed our concept of reality.

[RM Myers]

Sign

Looks exactly like the signs in one tall building I visited. The numbers told you which elevator went to which group of floors.

[Paul Hovnanian]

In Soviet Russia ...

... monolith removes you!

[Pretty Ricky]

Was it ever really there?

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Lost Erection

Let's hope this is not contagious

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55142062

https://www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de/allgaeu/bernardi-br%C3%A4u-rettenberger-brauerei-huldigt-holzpenis-am-gr%C3%BCnten-mit-neuem-bier_arid-251613

[Marty McFly]

Shades of the Mojave Phone Booth in this story...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_phone_booth

[Claverhouse]

They Should Have Just Left It There --- Doing No Harm

I like the fact that it was 'illegally installed', as if the US Government 'owns' the desert; and that the desert wasn't there millions of years before the US, and will be millions of years after the US is wiped from the memory of all things.