Mysterious Monolith Removed by Group Saying ‘Leave No Trace’

A shiny piece of steel about 3.4 meters tall appeared last month in the red-rock desert of the American state of Utah. Just ten days later, it disappeared. Only a few rocks remained to mark the spot where the monolith once stood.

A photographer from neighboring Colorado said he knew exactly what had happened.

Ross Bernards, the photographer, wrote on Instagram that he saw four men take it down last Friday. The men "pushed it almost to the ground on one side, before they decided¹ to push it back to the other when it then popped out and landed on the ground with a loud bang."

Bernards wrote one of the men said "this is why you don't leave trash in the desert." The group broke the monolith into pieces, loaded it onto a carrier and left, saying "leave no trace."

Bernards did not take photos of the removal. But he posted a cell phone photo of the men taking down the monolith. It was said to be taken by his friend.

On Tuesday, Andy Lewis of Utah confirmed that he and his team had removed the monolith. He wrote on Facebook, "On the night of November 27, 2020, at about 8:30pm— our team removed the Utah Monolith. We will not be including any other information, answers, or insight² at this time." Lewis also added a short video showing a group of men removing the object.

The local sheriff's office has said it is not planning an investigation³ into the disappearance⁴ of the monolith, which had been placed without permission on public land. But officials also said they would accept new information from any of the hundreds of visitors who walked out to see the otherworldly object in the desert.

The mysterious structure brought international attention and caused many to wonder about its creator. The New York Times reported that some believe it was the work of artist John McCracken who died in 2011. His son, Patrick McCracken, told the paper that his father said in 2002 "he would like to leave art in remote places to be discovered later."

For Bernards, the visitors' damage to the area convinced him that the desert is better off without the structure.

"Leave the art to places where art should be and let Mother Nature have her space for art," he said.

Utah is not the only place a monolith has appeared. A similar metal structure was found on a hill in northern Romania, in the city of Piatra Neamt. It has also disappeared. Whoever placed the object did not get a permit, Mayor Andrei Carabelea said in a Facebook post. He added that teenagers from outer space might be responsible for both structures.

"I am honored they chose our city," he said.

Words in This Story

monolith - n. a stone that was put in position by people as a monument or for religious reasons

pop - n. to suddenly break open or come away from something often with a short, loud noise

trash – n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away

trace - n. remains⁵

sheriff – n. an elected official who is in charge of enforcing the law in a county or town of the U.S

remote – adj. far remote

teenager – n. a person between the ages of 13-19

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 insight   

n.洞察力，洞悉，深刻的见解

参考例句：

• Good teachers have insight into the problems of students.好的教师能洞察学生的问题。
• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。