A Mysterious Metal Monolith Has Been Found in the Las Vegas Desert
Is it trying to tell us something?
This week, a reflective, metal monolith was discovered off of a Gass Peak hiking trail in Las Vegas and local officials are left stumped as to the who, why, and how of it all. A nature-loving Banksy dupe? A nomadic cult? Aliens? Our tin hats are donned.
The first time we heard about this obscurity was back in November 2020, when a seemingly identical silver sculpture gained internet infamy after being found in a remote desert in Utah, before disappearing without a trace not ten days later. A month later, an again similar monolith temporarily popped up out of nowhere in downtown Las Vegas, under the Fremont Street Experience canopy. Following that, they’ve popped up across the world in places as far as Wales and Romania. But as of late, all has been quiet on the western front—until now.
As is expected from this kind of enigma, self-professed sleuths have swarmed to the internet to offer their theories. Redditors suppose everything from “some bored rich dude’s entertainment” or another alleged publicity stunt by the Australian Aunty Donna comedy group to “just the geomarking pins for the earth demolition units that are bound to show up any week now with a Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, and send us to our final doom.” Well, fingers crossed it’s not that last one. But just in case, carpe diem.
Local authorities have predictably steered clear of spreading their own conspiracies. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shared photos via Facebook and took the opportunity to remind hikers of necessary trail safety with the caption, “We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water… but check this out!”
Whether this triggers your apocalyptic dread (get your go-bag ready) or you just want to finally expose who’s behind these puzzling pop ups, the pattern suggests this monolith disappearing without a trace soon enough. And so, the lore of the mysterious metal monoliths forges on.