Third mysterious monolith appears in California
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LOS ANGELES (NewsNation Now) — Another monolith similar to the one discovered in a Utah desert has been spotted, this time in Southern California.
Local residents discovered the metallic object on top of a mountain in Atascadero, which sits between Los Angeles and San Jose.
Gary Lyons encountered the object on Pine Mountain Wednesday morning. Lyons told Storyful he regularly runs and hikes on the mountain throughout the week, and hadn’t seen the object the day before.
It remains unclear who placed the monolith along the hiking trail. The tall, silver structure drew some hikers to the area after photos were posted on social media.
At least two other monoliths have been spotted elsewhere, before vanishing.
This Nov. 27, 2020 photo by Terrance Siemon shows a monolith that was placed in a red-rock desert in an undisclosed location in San Juan County southeastern Utah. (Terrance Siemon via AP) 
This Nov. 27, 2020 photo by Terrance Siemon shows a monolith that was placed in a red-rock desert in an undisclosed location in San Juan County southeastern Utah. (Terrance Siemon via AP) 
In this Nov. 18, 2020, file photo provided by the Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah state workers walk near a metal monolith planted in the ground in a remote area of red rock in Utah. (Utah Department of Public Safety via AP, File) 
A metal structure sticks from the ground on the Batca Doamnei hill, outside Piatra Neamt, northern Romania, on Nov. 27, 2020. (Robert Iosub/ziarpiatraneamt.ro via AP) 
A metal structure sticks from the ground on the Batca Doamnei hill, outside Piatra Neamt, northern Romania, on Nov. 27, 2020. (Robert Iosub/ziarpiatraneamt.ro via AP) 
A metal structure sticks from the ground on the Batca Doamnei hill, outside Piatra Neamt, northern Romania, on Nov. 27, 2020. (Robert Iosub/ziarpiatraneamt.ro via AP)
A similar object was discovered in a remote area of Utah’s red rocks last month, garnering attention from around the world. It had been placed without permission on public land, and was later removed by an unknown party, according to the state’s Bureau of Land Management.
Visitors left behind a mess of human waste and debris, parking cars on vegetation as well, officials said.
In Romania, a journalist with a local publication reported a monolith also disappeared after being found on a hill. A local official said that structure was placed without permission as well.
The Associated Press and Storyful contributed to this report.
