# Mysterious 2001-like monolith discovered in Utah **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298 "2020-11-23T21:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/82 "2020-12-01T06:00:19Z")
Can anyone read that? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/83 "2020-12-01T08:01:06Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > This is so stinking cool! [Another one in Romania!](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9001495/Now-mysterious-Arthur-C-Clarke-style-monolith-appears-ROMANIA-vanished-Utah.html) Up close images make it look like a cheap knockoff of the Utah monument. Looks like someone grabbed some spare sheet metal and cobbled it together in a day or two. > **[Video Metal monolith turns up in Romania](https://abcnews.go.com/International/video/metal-monolith-turns-romania-74473511)** > > A metal monolith appeared at a scenic spot in northern Romania days after a similar structure was discovered in the Utah desert. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/84 "2020-12-01T13:12:16Z")
Let’s hear it for copycats. Hey, @PlaceboTarget is from Romania and hasn’t posted in a few days. I wonder if he’s been busy in his shop? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/85 "2020-12-01T13:45:52Z")
maybe a stunt to promote a business or website that went wrong ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/86 "2020-12-01T14:51:54Z")
What Emily said. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/87 "2020-12-01T16:59:37Z")
> **[Ross Bernards Photography](https://www.facebook.com/rossbernardsphotography/posts/3421370297976185)** > > If you’re interested in what exactly happened to the monolith keep reading because I was literally there. On Friday, 3 friends and myself drove the 6 hours down to the middle of nowhere in Utah and... ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/88 "2020-12-01T17:10:01Z")
It sounds like the monolith turned out to be made of plywood with metal sheathing. If so, it probably couldn’t have been there all that long. Even a desert gets enough rain to warp plywood if any moisture gets in, at least over a period of years. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/89 "2020-12-01T19:03:36Z")
Well, it showed up sometime between August 2015 (when it doesn’t appear on Google Earth) and October 2016 (when it does) so maybe that plywood was well sealed? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/90 "2020-12-02T20:46:56Z")
The Romanian monolith has also disappeared: > **[Mystery monolith vanishes in Romania - alien action or local prank?](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2IH0QK)** > > A shiny metal monolith vanished on Tuesday from Romania's mountainous Neamt county, four days after its sudden appearance close to an ancient Dacian fortress sparked speculation it may be related to a mystery structure seen in the United States. This is all going to turn out to be a PR stunt for some awful PS5 game or something isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/91 "2020-12-02T21:07:47Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > This is all going to turn out to be a PR stunt for some awful PS5 game or something isn’t it? , Is that what happened with that weird asymmetrical UFO, from many years back? I always wondered, but never heard what it was. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/92 "2020-12-02T21:43:01Z")
Marine plywood is made with waterproof glue. It’s not completely weatherproof, but it lasts longer than ordinary plywood when exposed to water. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/93 "2020-12-02T21:50:34Z")
The article about the removal mentioned cars and people coming from all directions to the spot and destroying the natural landscape. It sounds like the people who removed it did so to avoid further damage. I agree with that. Not only will this monolith create problems, other people will start putting them up and exacerbating the issue. A while back, people started putting up little doors at the bottom of trees along a hiking trail I went on. At first it was cute, but soon after there were doors everywhere and some of them were pretty crappy. Rains would wash them away and there’d be junk everywhere. The rangers started collecting them all and it’s much better when it’s just back to nature. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/94 "2020-12-02T21:56:59Z")
Ahem… > [@The door to nowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-nowhere/926328): > > Not wanting to hi-jack the [Mysterious 2001-like monolith](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298) thread, I’d like to share my story about how sometimes odd things end up in the wilderness. This story takes place on and around what is now the [Agra Fria National Monument](https://www.blm.gov/national-conservation-lands/arizona/agua-fria) before it had a name. Around 30 years ago, I was driving my '65 Chevy pick-up home from work when I saw that someone had put an entire hung door still on the frame out as trash. Who could possibly drive away and leave that prize? Not me, that was for sure. I loaded it … ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/95 "2020-12-02T22:00:34Z")
These weren’t regular doors. They were little doors put at the roots of the trees like fairy houses or something. Just a few inches tall. The first ones were well made and added a nice artistic accent to the trail, but soon after everyone wanted to get in on it and were putting up stuff made with paper, foam craft sheets, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/96 "2020-12-02T22:01:24Z")
Ah, I misunderstood. Apologies. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/97 "2020-12-02T22:05:28Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > The rangers started collecting them all and it’s much better when it’s just back to nature. The only good thing about this whole thing is the collective public has a very short attention span. One month it’ll be Faerie doors at the base of trees; next month it’ll be vaguely monolithic SF props in wilderness areas near roads. The following month it’ll be _who-knows-what_. Social media makes each fad bigger geographically, but shorter temporally. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/98 "2020-12-03T00:59:18Z")
This? [https://littlethings.com/home/tinker-nature-park-fairy-trail](https://littlethings.com/home/tinker-nature-park-fairy-trail) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/99 "2020-12-03T16:27:11Z")
# New mystery metal monolith appears on a California mountaintop > **[New mystery metal monolith appears on a California mountaintop](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/02/new-monolith-california-mountaintop-atascadero)** > > Not long after a similar structure was discovered in a Utah desert, a silvery column has been found in Atascadero ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/100 "2020-12-03T16:41:29Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > They were little doors put at the roots of the trees like fairy houses or something. Just a few inches tall On Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine, there are a bunch of fairy houses on one specific trail. There have been some issues with people using live materials or leaving trash while building them, but it’s generally considered an established attraction there. > **[nhlifefree.com](http://ww38.nhlifefree.com/2017/08/01/the-fairy-houses-of-monhegan-island-maine/)** > > This domain may be for sale! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298/101 "2020-12-04T03:07:06Z")
Eating Tide Pods? (That, BTW, was 99% urban legend.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-2001-like-monolith-discovered-in-utah/926298.md?page=6)