DPS Aero Bureau discovers monolith deep in the Utah wilds

Cue the 2001: A Space Odyssey music, please. The Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau was working in conjunction with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to conduct a count of bighorn sheep in a portion of Southeastern Utah. Deep in the wildlands of Utah, the airborne crew discovered a very unusual object on the ground.

When they saw the unusual object, they landed to investigate what it might be. They discovered a tall and narrow silver monolith installed in the ground in a remote area of red rock. The monolith in the classic movie was black. The one found in Utah is silver and looks like brushed stainless steel.

The crew says that there's no obvious indication of who might have put the monolith in the ground there. The Department of Public Safety isn't disclosing the exact location where they discovered the monolith. It's in a very remote area, and officials fear people attempting to visit the site could become stranded and require rescue. DPS officials are also encouraging anyone who knows the monolith's location to not try to visit due to road conditions.

Whoever put the monolith there is undoubtedly attempting to get some attention and has done their job well. It almost feels like a viral movie tie-in, but we don't know what exactly the point is for now. DPS did issue a statement yesterday noting that they can't comment on active investigations.

However, the Bureau of Land Management has taken the opportunity to remind visitors to public land that using, occupying, or developing public lands or its resources without authorization is illegal, "no matter what planet you are from." There is no indication that any fights with blunt objects have broken out in the vicinity of the monolith.