“We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking, like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water… but check this out!” wrote the Las Vegas Police Department about an odd mirrored monolith that’s appeared near Gass Peak, north of the valley.

The monolith is reminiscent of similar objects that made an appearance in 2020, popping up in Utah, Romania, California, and New Mexico, all of which have now been removed. These monoliths were assumed to be art, though the full origin story of only the California monolith was known – created by local metal artists.

It’s likely that the monolith near Las Vegas has similar origins – what else could it be? Aliens?

Either way, the new monolith has drawn the attention of those online since it was first spotted by Las Vegas Metro Search and Rescue over the weekend, with many speculating about how it ended up where it’s at.

Will someone end up removing the monolith or will this one stick around? We’ll have to wait and see.

Las Vegas Metro Police Department hasn’t mentioned anything about removing it, though it may end up getting taken down as this does not follow the basic principles of Leave No Trace, which would instruct backcountry travelers to never leave art behind.