In the midst of enthusiastic speculation surrounding the strange metal monolith discovered amidst the red rock of the Utah desert (and its subsequent disappearance), an almost identical monolithic structure appeared thousands of miles across the earth. It was standing on a hill overlooking the city of Piatra Neamt in Romania. Then, only four days after the surprising discovery, this one mysteriously vanished, too.
The disappearance of the Utah monolith has since been explained—it appears four mysterious men removed it—but that of its Romanian counterpart is still under investigation. What yet remains to be seen is where they both came from. While one of the theories surrounding the Utah edifice is that it’s the work of late artist John McCracken, it has been stated that the Romanian structure was made by an unidentified welder local to the area.
Though it is now clear that they are not one and the same, many still seem to think that the two monoliths are somehow related. They are quite similar in height and appearance, though the one in Romania bears looping, uneven markings etched into its surface (in contrast to the smooth surface of its Utah twin). Another similarity: they were both placed without authorization on protected lands.
Is it art? A publicity stunt? Extraterrestrials? The world is still guessing. “There is no reason to panic for those who think there is still life in the universe,” comments Andrei Carabelea, the mayor of Piatra Neamt. “My guess is that some alien, cheeky and terrible teenagers left home with their parents’ UFO and started planting metal monoliths around the world. First in Utah and then at Piatra Neamt. I am honoured that they chose our city.”
As if the appearance (and subsequent disappearance) of this new monolith weren’t intriguing enough, there is now a third monolith that has popped up in California. Like the structure found in Utah, this metallic monolith found in Pine Mountain in Atascadero features a smooth surface. The Atascadero News reports, “The three-sided obelisk appeared to be made of stainless steel, 10-feet tall and 18 inches wide. The object was welded together at each corner, with rivets attaching the side panels to a likely steel frame inside. The top of the monument did not show any weld marks, and it appears to be hollow at the top, and possibly bottom.”
It seems the world will just have to wait and see whether this monolith also vanish and whether another one will show up somewhere else in the world.
Another mysterious monolith has surfaced on a hillside in Romania, almost identical to the one that was discovered in Utah.
Its origins are unknown, although it is said that it was made by an unidentified local welder.
Only four days after its discovery, it also disappeared. But now, there’s a brand new metal monolith that’s appeared in California.
🚨 🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 🚨
There is currently a monolith at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero!!
(Photos by @Atownreporter) pic.twitter.com/0vPhEWYkeY
— Connor Allen (@ConnorCAllen) December 2, 2020
All images via Ziar Piatra Neamt.
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