Mystery of California Crop Circle May Never Be Solved

Ralphie Aversa

An intricate crop circle in California no longer exists after the owner whose land it was on ordered a crew to plow it under. But the Internet is still abuzz with whether the circle's construction came via a group of pranksters or something more inexplicable.

Scott Anthony owns a ranch just outside of Chualar, Calif. , about two hours south of San Francisco. When he returned from vacation earlier this week, he discovered that someone had plowed a design into his field. The Monterey Herald spoke with a security guard at the field, who said the circle appeared either Sunday or Monday morning. Spanning about an acre, the pattern appeared to contain the numbers 1, 9, and 2 in Braille, according to KSBW-TV.

Visitors began flocking to the site after a video was uploaded to YouTube Monday of two people driving by the field. Flashes of light are seen in the distance of the clip, shot before sunrise Monday morning. The cameraman and his friend pull the car over and head onto the farm, discovering the crop circle. As the two-and-a-half-minute piece ends, the pair allegedly encounter someone or something and decide to book it.

Julie Belanger captured the first aerial views of the field. She and her husband, Pat, flew overhead Monday and happened to catch a glimpse of the design.

"Flying through that area is not always very exciting, and then, all of a sudden, that thing's there," Belanger told the Herald.

The married couple owns the 111th Aerial Photography Squadron, specializing in overhead photos for real estate listings.

"It was beautiful," Belanger told KSBW. "I believe it's possible that aliens exist, but I don't know if they would bother making a crop circle to give us a message."

She isn't the only person skeptical of a paranormal explanation. The NBC affiliate reports that two separate people saw crews of up to 30 people walking around the field last weekend.