How Many Mysterious Monoliths Have Appeared In 2020 And Who Is Responsible For Them?

A curious phenomenon in 2020 has been the worldwide appearances of monoliths.

The shiny structures have been appearing since November, with some not having explanations as to how they got there. They caught the attention of film buffs and believers in aliens, who saw similarities with the alien monoliths in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 classic science-fiction film "2001: A Space Odyssey."

On Sunday, the New York Times was among the publications to note that someone took "credit for erecting one of the monoliths that have popped up in the last few weeks" after one was found in Pine Mountain in Atascadero, California.

A monolith is a metal structure that looks like a pillar, which the ones that have been found are mainly three-sided and stand at pretty tall heights.

Here are all the places monoliths have turned up in recent weeks.

Red Rock Country, Utah

On Nov. 18 in southeast Utah, the first recent monolith was spotted. While there has been no confirmation as to how it appeared, some threw out unfounded theories that aliens were responsible. A few various artists have taken credit for it, according to USA Today.

The structure disappeared on Nov. 27. Reports surfaced days later that four men removed the monolith.

Piatra Neamt, Romania

On Nov. 28, a monolith appeared in northwest Romania and bore a resemblance to one found in Utah. It was found near an archeological landmark, Petrodava Dacian Fortress.

It disappeared on Dec. 1 after a group of athletes removed it.

Atascadero, California

As the New York Times noted, this monolith was found on Dec. 2 on a hiking trail in central California. It was 100-feet-tall and weighed around 200 pounds, according to the city’s press release. Four local metal artists are responsible for the monolith.

Some young men live-streamed themselves removing the monolith and replacing it with a cross.

Las Vegas, Nevada

A monolith was discovered Friday under the Fremont Street Experience, an entertainment district in downtown.

It’s three-sided and is 10-feet high. There has been no information explaining how it got there.

Los Padres National Forest, California

It's the second monolith to be found in the county, with the first one being in Atascadero. It was found by a group flying a drone over the national forest. This one was 10 feet with a symbol on the top, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Fayetteville, North Carolina

A 3-foot-tall monolith was seen in front of a design studio. There’s no information about who put it there, but a press release put out by the Cool Spring Downtown District suggests it was a local artist.

Wight’s Compton Beach, England

The monolith was found Sunday on the Isle of Wight, located off the south coast about 90 miles southwest of London. No one has come forward to claim credit for it.

A local resident said she "was dumbstruck" when she came across it during a beach walk, according to BBC News.

El Paso, Texas

This monolith was reported Monday just before it was stolen by a group of people, according to a local ABC affiliate. The group was caught in videos that were shared on social media.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mayor Tim Keller on Monday tweeted out a photo of the found monolith and noted that it was discovered by the Pan American Freeway and Montano.

A Santa-Fe based art collective claimed responsibility for the monolith and offered it up for purchase on their website and Instagram, according to Albuquerque NBC affiliate KOB4.