If you’ve been anywhere near a silver screen within the last few months catching Lord of the Rings or Mulholland Drive, you may have seen a particularly chilling preview for Sixth Sense and Unbreakable creator M. Night Shyamalan’s next excursion into postmodern horror, Signs. Shyamalan has moved out of ghost stories and superhero myths and settled himself firmly into the mystery of crop circles and the UFO madness that swept the United States during X-Files’ notorious run in the late 90s.

But what are crop circles, where do they come from, and more importantly, what do they mean? While scientific and social agreement is miles apart on this issue, there are some things that we do know.

Crop circles are geometrical designs most often found in fields of barley and wheat, and are formed by flattened portions of the organic material in which they appear. They have also been reported in corn, grass, oats, canola, rice fields, sand and even snow. The enigmatic designs appear overnight and have been found all over the world, in over 70 countries including the United States, with most of the complex formations occurring in England, where the earliest known crop circle was formed in the 1600s. Crop circles also have the tendency to be found near ancient sites, such as Stonehenge and Silbury Hill, one of the largest manmade mounds in existence. In fact, within the past two decades, there have been increased reports of crop circles, most of them manmade, but there always is that small percentage that defies science and logic.

And while many have wondered about the authenticity of crop circles, scientists from all fields have been busy researching the possibilities. Conclusions have been made that there are discernable features that define authentic crop circles; here are a few of them:


Example of irregular nodes.

Which still does not entirely explain how crop circles are actually made.

While theories are far too numerous and scientific to spell out in simple terms, one researcher by the name of Dr. William C. Levengood -- who studied plants within the crop circle -- found that the way the nodes were variously elongated and blown out was the result of some form of microwave transient heating. This heat theory coincides with reports and videotaped footage of small balls of light floating in and around various crop circles, that some speculate give off the heat necessary to form the circles.

It’s certainly a relatively radical theory, but there are some scientists that agree with it. Such as Dr. Eltjo H. Hasselhoff, who argues that -- in light of the ten thousand crop circles reported worldwide -- the conventional rationale that they are all manmade is insufficient. He also attests that, after numerous studies, it has been determined that the changes in the plants themselves are indeed a result of intense heat and that “this effect perfectly matched the radiation pattern of an electromagnetic point source at a height of four meters and ten centimeters above that field.” Hasselhoff has analyzed several previously investigated crop circles and achieved similar results. However, his daring analysis eventually failed when applied to manmade crop circles, leading Hasselhoff to conclude that the balls of light must have something to do with the formation of crop circles that occur naturally.

Other more metaphysical theories on how crop circles are formed include the concept of Earth ley-lines and the Gaia hypothesis. As stated before, many crop circles are found near ancient sites -- the proximity and arrangement of circles around the sites have renewed an interest in the ancient art of geomancy, once considered to be sacred geometry. Analysis of the placement of crop circles in relation to the sites have been linked to ley-lines, which are a reputed network of Earth’s energy lines. Some hypothesize that the ley-lines, in conjunction with a water source, conduct electrical currents through chalk deposits, resurface onto the land, and react with electrical charges in the air.

Meanwhile, the Gaia theory posits that the Earth is like any other organism that is self-protective and will respond to external and internal stimuli. Believers in the Gaia hypothesis posit that the Earth’s environmental stresses produce sometimes unexplainable responses. Some even speculate further that crop circles are one of the ways Mother Earth is telling humanity that we cannot continue to abuse her.

Who knows the meaning of these sometimes incredibly intricate designs imprinted on this earth? Are they a message from Earth itself or are there other life-forms trying to communicate with us on some level we are unable to figure out? No one truly has a definitive answer for the how and why of crop circles formation. They are a phenomena veiled in mystery and, as such, have captured the curiosity and imagination of people all across the globe.

They have also inspired new faith in a growing contingency of UFO chasers and have created a new phenomena altogether, that of circlemaking, a group whose membership continues to grow across the world every year.

Whatever the case may be, one thing is for certain: no one, whether they are a scientist, a mathematician, or a die-hard Roswell aficionado, is giving up on the mystery of crop circles.


© Melt Magazine 2002