A new mystery metal monolith has appeared atop a mountain in California, just a week after a similar structure captured the imagination of the world when it was discovered in the deserts of Utah – before being taken down and disappeared.
The local newspaper in the small town of Atascadero, on the central California coast, reported that the silvery column had been found atop Pine mountain where dozens of local hikers made the trip to view it – and post their pictures on the internet.
“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 Atascadero News reported.
Connor Allen
(@ConnorCAllen)🚨 🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 🚨
There is currently a monolith at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero!!
(Photos by @Atownreporter) pic.twitter.com/0vPhEWYkeY
Unlike its Utah sibling – which was firmly mounted in the rocks where it was found – the Atascadero monolith was apparently a little wobbly and the newspaper reported that it might be possible to push it over.
The Utah monolith was first spotted on 18 November by state helicopter crews helping wildlife biologists count bighorn sheep. The object, about 11ft tall and apparently made of stainless steel, soon attracted hundreds of curious onlookers to its location as its fame spread around the globe.
Its creator remains a mystery though a subject of much speculation. As does the identity of its destroyers after eyewitnesses captured its removal last Friday night by a group of four men who reportedly “walked off with the pieces” with one of them saying, “Leave no trace,” according to the New York Times.
The Atascadero monolith is not the first copycat of the Utah original. Amid mounting international attention of the mystery, a similar structure was reportedly found in the mountains of Romania.