A strange monolith, resembling something from another world, has been spotted in the mountains near Las Vegas.
Jutting out of the rocks in a remote mountain range near Las Vegas, this reflective rectangular prism stands out against the vast desert landscape and captures the curiosity of both locals and authorities.
No one knows where the object came from, or if it is still there.
Discovery and Investigation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the origins of the monolith after learning about it through a social media post on Monday.
Las Vegas police shared on the platform X that their search and rescue unit discovered the object over the weekend near Gass Peak, a prominent feature of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.
Standing at 6,937 feet (2,114 meters), Gass Peak is one of the highest points in the area north of Las Vegas.
The monolith's appearance there has sparked curiosity and comparisons to the iconic object from Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Photo: LVMPD on X
Series of Appearances
This Nevada monolith is the latest in a series of similar structures that have appeared and disappeared since late 2020.
The phenomenon began with a metal monolith found in Utah's red-rock desert, followed by sightings in Romania, central California, and downtown Las Vegas.
The Utah monolith, the first in the series, stood at about 12 feet (3.6 meters) and was deeply embedded in the rock. Its remote location led to concerns about tourists getting lost or stranded, as well as environmental damage from increased foot traffic and vehicle use.
Environmental Concerns
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fears the Nevada monolith could lead to similar environmental damage. The Desert National Wildlife Refuge, established to protect bighorn sheep and rare plants, is the largest wildlife refuge outside Alaska, capable of covering Rhode Island twice.
"People might come looking for it and be coming with inappropriate vehicles or driving where they shouldn’t, trampling plants," said Christa Weise, the refuge’s acting manager.
Both the Utah and Nevada monoliths were illegally installed on federal land, adding to the challenge of managing the sudden influx of curious visitors.
As with previous sightings, the origin and purpose of the Nevada monolith remain unknown.
