3rd Monolith Mystery: What In (Or Out Of) The World Is Going On?

ATASCADERO, CA — In a year that's already brought devastating wildfires, a pandemic and murder hornets, someone — or something — is now determined to add "visitors from another world" to that list.

A monolith spotted Wednesday on Pine Mountain in Southern California was the second recently discovered in the United States and the third in the world. The first of the bizarre U.S. installations showed up about two weeks ago in Utah's remote, otherworldly Red Rock Country.

The California monolith was discovered on a hiking trail in Atascadero, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, KEYT-TV and The Atascadero News reported. The tall, silver structure drew hikers to the area after photos were posted on social media.

Almost as quickly as it appeared, the monolith was taken down in the early morning hours Thursday. According to The Atascadero News, a group of "out-of-town vandals" were responsible for the obelisk's removal. In its place, they left a wooden cross.

In audio recorded by the vandals, the person speaking called the object an “alien obelisk,” and said, “We don’t want illegal aliens from Mexico, or outer space.”

But how did the monolith get there in the first place? Where did it come from? And what was its point?

These questions remain unanswered. The California structure, like the one in Utah, was placed without permission or cooperation by the state Bureau of Land Management, the Atascadero News reported.

However, unlike the mysterious structure in Utah, the "Atascadero obelisk was not attached to the ground, and could be knocked over with a firm push," the report said.

The California monolith is the third in the world to inexplicably appear in recent weeks. The first was discovered on Batca Doamnei Hill, in the city of Piatra Neamt in northern Romania. One side of the installation faced Mount Ceahlau, one of the seven natural wonders of Romania and known locally as "Holy Mountain." A journalist with a local publication reported that a monolith disappeared shortly after being found, and a local official said that structure was also placed without permission.

The Utah monolith was a beacon of fascination around the world, evoking the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” as it drew hundreds of people to the remote spot.

But almost as quickly as it was erected, the Utah monolith disappeared.

Utah law enforcement was quick to the point the finger at a potential culprit.

"IT’S GONE!” the Utah Department of Public Safety wrote on a now-deleted Instagram post, adding it could "only speculate" that aliens took it back, using the emoji for extraterrestrials.

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office also said it was aware of the monolith's disappearance. The office also called on the public to help identify the suspect from a "lineup."

While revelers were ultimately left to speculate where it went, two adventure sportsmen eventually came forward to take credit for the removal.

Utah residents Andy Lewis and Sylvan Christensen posted a 23-second video showing the monolith, once embedded in the rock, being dismantled, loaded onto a wheelbarrow and carried away at night.

Lewis, a 34-year-old BASE jumping guide, posted the video to his YouTube account, Mr. Slackline, saying the group removed the monolith the night of Nov. 27.

Accounts of why the duo removed the structure were also posted to TikTok and Christensen's Instagram. Not only had the structure been placed without permission on public land, visitors left behind a mess of human waste and debris.

Christensen also noted the "ethical failures" of the still-mysterious artist who made a "gouge" in the sandstone to erect the object.

"We removed the Utah Monolith because there are clear precedents for how we share and standardize the use of our public lands, natural wildlife, native plants, fresh water sources, and human impacts upon them," Christensen wrote while urging people to protect valuable public lands. "Things like this don’t help."