Another mysterious monolith has been spotted in mid-June, this time on a hiking trail in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

The department stated that LVMPD’s Search and Rescue unit, a volunteer organization, discovered the object over the weekend near the Gass Peak trail, about 16 miles north of Las Vegas within the Desert National Wildlife Refuge.

Photos shared by the police show the solitary vertical slab reflecting the rugged, dry terrain and rocky desert landscape against a bright blue sky. It remains unclear where the object came from, how it got there, or what will happen to it. After sharing the image on social media, a police department spokesperson said that they would not comment on the monolith.

Due to mysterious monolith, authorities ask tourists to warn their hiking routes

Las Vegas authorities have decided to use the mystery as a community announcement, sharing some hiking safety tips for Las Vegas trails in the same comment thread.

The department reminded people to inform someone of their hiking or climbing plans and expected return time; check weather forecasts before setting out; bring first aid kits “and extra food and water!” as well as “inclement weather gear” for an overnight stay; and carry a light source, a fully charged phone, and a personal locator beacon.

Authorities removed the mysterious monolith protruding from rocks in a remote mountain range near Las Vegas. How it got there remains unsolved.

Where else have the mysterious monoliths appeared before?

The Las Vegas monolith is not the only one to have captured attention in recent years after seemingly appearing out of nowhere, puzzling officials and residents and sparking curiosity.

In March, a resident of the village of Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales, woke up for a routine walk on Hay Bluff hill, only to encounter a silver monolith that he said appeared to be made of surgical steel.

In 2020, a three-sided metallic monolith, standing between 10 and 12 feet tall, was found at the base of a remote canyon in Red Rock Country, Utah. The Utah Department of Public Safety shared the discovery, describing it as an “unusual object” spotted in southeast Utah during a survey with the state wildlife agency.

That same year, a 10-foot monolith was found under the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, according to The Las Vegas Review-Journal. In both cases, authorities were unaware of the origins of the monoliths, although a group of artists claimed to have created one found atop Pine Mountain in Atascadero, California.

The Possible Explanation Behind the Appearance of These Mysterious Monoliths

Although there is no confirmed information and some internet users have speculated that these structures might be NASA instruments, a theory with a logical explanation has gained traction.

These metallic blocks, approximately 10 feet tall, bear a striking resemblance to the avant-garde work of John McCracken, an American artist who lived in Utah and passed away in 2011. However, his son, Patrick McCracken, recently told The New York Times that his father had mentioned he would love to leave his works in remote locations to be discovered later. In recent days, his legal representative has suggested that these monoliths could indeed be the work of the artist.