Hilbert College

- Home -

- Students -

- Tutorials -

- Student Papers -

Group 8 Alicia Moody Professor Jackson Beth Grieger Journalism 304 Melissa Greer February 14, 2000 Jenniese Carter

The formation of crop circles is a worldwide phenomenon, dating as far back as the nineteenth century. In 1880, David Muckle and W.R. McKay of East Kent, Ontario were in a neighboring field when they heard a loud boom, "like that of a cannon." When they turned around, they saw rocks flying up from the ground. Upon closer examination, they found what is known today as a crop circle (Scientific American 25). Some 1800 crop circles have been recorded, ranging from three to thirty meters in diameter. The majority appears in England, in fields of wheat, corn, or barley. However, crop circles have appeared all around the world from crop circles seen in the rice paddies of Japan to snow circles in the mountains of Afghanistan (www.cropcircleresearch.com/Enigma/8/1.html). While some formations are the crafty handiwork of hoaxers, no one definitely knows what causes genuine crop circles. Three possible explanations are religious communication, messages from extraterrestrials, and the effects of wind vortices.

Another explanation for the formation of crop circles is hoaxing. In September 1991, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, two Englishmen in their sixties, confessed to the British media that they were the creators of the crop circles found within the English grain fields. The men say they created their first crop circle in 1978 after leaving a pub. To convince the media that crop circles were just a hoax, Bower, along with some followers, created a crop circle within hours while being filmed (Skeptic, p.12). However, after 14 years of confessing, Bower claimed that he and his partner never created the circles. Are crop circles made by humans or by forces of nature and beyond?

According to a study of the features of crop circles, there are certain patterns that suggest hoaxing as the cause of crop circles. The patterns are the yearly increase in crop circles, the complexity of crop circles, the geographic distribution of crop circles, and the "shyness factor," the avoidance of being observed in action (Skeptical Inquirer, p. 41). Hoaxers claim they use a plank and a piece of string to create crop circles. The number of reported crop circles has declined since Doug and Dave.

There are mechanical differences within various circle formations. Researchers who have studied the formation of crop circles indicate that there are certain factors to distinguish genuine crop circles from those that are man-made. Some factors are the number of circles, quality, complexity, lack of damage, presence of ratios, sacred geometry, and the circumstances of the formation (Crop Formation and the Secrets of Deception). Other distinguishing factors are swirl patterns, layering, banding, condition of crop, shape, position of spiral damage to the ground, condition of surrounding crop, and time of discovery. A genuine crop circle always has swirl patterns, while man-made circles do not. Usually, there is layering in a genuine crop circle, while a hoaxed circle is generally not layered. A genuine crop circle remains undamaged, whereas the stems of man-made circles are damaged. A genuine circle is usually oval-shaped, while a hoaxed circle is perfectly circular. In a genuine circle, the position of the spiral is usually offset, while a man-made circle is centered. There is usually no damage to the ground around a genuine crop circle. However, there are sometimes holes or footprints near a man-made circle. Researchers also claim that genuine crop circles are discovered overnight, while hoaxed circles are discovered during the day (www.indigo.ie/~dcd/hoax.htm).

Professor John Safko, director of the University of South CarolinaÕs Astronomy Center, says crop circles are just frauds created as practical jokes. "Practical jokesters always appreciate finding someone gullible enough to believe whatÕs happened." If hoaxers are the real creators of crop circles, then why do they not stop the damage they cause to the English crop? Is it possible there is some other explanation for the creation of crop circles? Perhaps they are forms of religious communication.

Religion is thought to be one of the theories credited to the formation of crop circles. Researchers believe crop circles are affiliated with Buddhism and Avatar. According to the Tibetan beliefs, Buddha had many incarnations since prehistoric times, two of them being Jesus and King Arthur. They were believed to be the same person and expresses Avatar, which are Heavenly Angelic Forms of Communication (www.indigo.ie./~dcd/relig.htm). Once each different person or Avatar passes, they are known as different religions, for example, Buddha and Buddhism and Jesus Christ and Christianity. The religions are then based on symbols used as forms of communication. An Avatar leaves these symbols behind so that his students can continue his teachings, thus relating to crop circles. Other religious reasons include Vajra, which is also a part of the Buddhist religion. It is a representation of the unbreakable absolute in the universe, concluding that something of a divine nature may have messages to convey to humans about their existence (Melton). Researchers also consider the crop circles to be pictograms that are much like the ones found on the plains of Nazcu, Peru. These circles have striking similarities to the formal patterns of Celtic Arts (Ellen). Although religion is considered to be a theory behind the formation of crop circles, there is not enough information to support that it is the actual cause of crop circlesÕ existence. It may contribute to the reason that it exists but it leaves questions about how they come to exist. The lack of evidence supporting religious communications could lead us to another possible explanation as to the origin of crop circles. Perhaps the circles are the handiworks of extraterrestrial invaders traveling in UFOs.

UFOs were first thought to be the cause of crop circles (Stacy 75). Sightings of strange lights or UFOs are often sighted the night before a formation. Some of the local people in Wiltshire, England have their own amazing stories of UFO sightings and strange events (www.cropcircleresearch.com/Enigma/8/l.html). Pat Delgado, retired Electro-mechanical engineer and founder member of the Circles Phenomenon Research Group tells of an experience near a circle formation at Upper Farm, Headbourne Worthy on August 26, 1986. He writes, "It was a warm sunny day with one or two cumulus clouds moving slowly across the sky from south to west. It was 12:25 p.m. when, looking up into the blue sky, I caught sight of a small, grey-coloured disc-shaped object hovering high up in the sky. The object darted at high speed, and in one jerking movement, to the southwest. It was obscured by a small cloud moving in the opposite direction. I stared at the cloud, knowing it had to emerge, but it didnÕt. The sighting troubled me greatly" (Delgado and Andrews 38).

Is it possible the UFO Delgado spotted caused the markings at Headbourne Worthy? Do UFOs cause crop circles markings? Edwin R. Jones, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of South Carolina, believes crop circles are mostly the work of hoaxes. He says crop circles are obviously the result of people making special boards and flattening out the grain. When asked whether or not he believes UFOs are responsible for crop circles, Jones says, "WeÕve been living with UFO sightings since the 50s. Most of the time, I believe there have been plenty of adequate physical explanations for why people see what they sawÑvarious atmospheric phenomena, reflections and refraction of light. I donÕt feel thereÕs any real evidence for alien spacecraft" (Jones 2000).

Terence Meaden, a former lecturer in physics at Oxford and Grenoble, believes only a few are plainly the work of hoaxes, or even scrupulous farmers anxious to make a few pounds. Meaden is certain that many, the genuine ones, are the work of an unexplained phenomenon. According to Meaden, crop circles are caused by tiny, electrical charged whirlwinds. Such vortexes glow visibly at night and could conceivably be responsible for many UFO reports and related phenomena (Stacy 75). In MeadenÕs book The Circles Effect and its Mysteries Meaden suggests that these natural atmospheric vortices or whirlwinds have the capacity to be ionized like its relatives in the whirlwind tornado family, meaning they could be accompanied by electrical, optical, and acoustic effects, therefore creating luminous vortices (Meaden 16, 53). If Meaden is correct, these vortices might have resulted in what people believed to be UFO sightings.

According to Delgado, humans do not like mysteries, because they make us feel uncomfortable. People like to have a neat scientific answer for every problem; some need to make everything conform to conventional sciences. Delgado believes UFOs could cause some crop circles. UFOs are claimed to be capable of producing the most extraordinary behavior and phenomena. Their control of force fields unknown to us may result in rings and circles. It is possible, Delgado says, that UFOs are only visible when they wish to be in our light spectrum, so the forces they control could be demonstrated with or without their presence (Delgado and Andrews 176-177).

In DelgadoÕs book Circular Evidence he supports the theory of UFO existence with a startling discovery. Two quantum physicists, Professor Segre, of Italy, and Dr. Chamberlain, an American scientist, discovered the anti-proton. Discovery of the anti-proton means the proton exists in two forms--protons with mass (touchable matter), and anti-protons (anti-matter). The world we now see consists of the normal atomic matter, but within that world exist sub-atomic particles. In other words, a non-mass world interpenetrating a world of mass. This supports DelgadoÕs theory that the circles may be created by an unknown force field manipulated by an unknown intelligence (Delgado and Andrews 176-177). Even though there is some research supporting the theory that UFOs cause crop circle formations, another more scientific explanation exists.

A fourth and more accepted explanation for the formation of crop circles is Mother Nature. Scientists propose that wind vortices developing in the atmosphere flatten crops in a swirling fashion. When air spins slowly on a horizontal plain, it accumulates speed, and the mass forms into a column of air. A vertical flow of air then meets the horizontal air mass and the wind vortex "rises, spinning fast, almost vertically upwards" (Meaden 46). As it quickly circulates, the vortex tilts "like a childÕs spinning top," and a circle is carved out from the crops below (New Scientist 30). What is left is a crop circle. The flattened stalks are within a close distance to the ground. They swirl out from the center, either clockwise or counterclockwise (Meaden 13-14).

Circles created by wind vortices are seemingly perfect in proportions. Imperfect circles are caused by slight movements within the swirling air mass that force it to drift slightly from the center of the original spiral (Meaden 16-17). A feature that is characteristic of most non-hoaxed circles is a "sharp circular perimeter" separating the flattened stalks from the stalks remaining untouched (13). Extremely ornate crop circle formations are attributed to the work of hoaxers. Meaden suggests that formations with concentric rings and nearby "ÕsatelliteÕ rings" are the result of interacting charges found in ionized air in certain vortices. According to Meaden, these charges can cause the vortex to hold together longer than normal and produce lavish designs (Anderson 962).

Wind vortices are most frequent in areas where "the terrain has hills and obstacles in it" (Anderson 961). Meaden notes that "an atmospheric disturbance or hill wave is always present in the airflow downwind of an obstacle" (Meaden 38). Perhaps this is the reason why certain areas of English hills are prone to frequent crop circles. Erratic eddies are blown into the low hills, and some of these eddies turn into vortices (Anderson 961). On those accounts when crop circles form far away from hills or other obstacles, the vortices are created by disturbances in the airflow, which are caused by atypical terrain (Meaden 40).

Critics do not accept that wind vortices could possibly flatten such exact circles in crops. Roger Jennison, a physics professor at the University of Kent, maintains that "there would be too much turbulence" to create perfect circles (Anderson 962). Other skeptics agree with Jennison. Some say that the "abrupt edges" of the circles are too exact for a wind vortex to produce. They also believe that "the edge of a vortex should be irregular because of turbulence in the air" (New Scientist 30). Delgado says that whirlwinds cannot be responsible for creating circles and rings. Whirlwinds must remain stationary in order to flatten the crop with the swirls and patterns and not suck any of it up as whirlwinds normally do (Delgado and Andrews 38).

The wind-vortex theory on the formation of crop circles has been researched extensively, yet it still contains inexplicable discrepancies. A major barrier to the confirmation of this theory is the fact that no one has actually documented on film the making of a genuine crop circle (Anderson 961). Therefore, the wind vortex theory cannot be defined as the primary cause of crop circles.

After researching the four possible explanations for the formation of crop circles, hoaxing, religious communications, messages from extraterrestrials, and wind vortices, it is safe to conclude that there is not enough evidence to declare the true cause. It is obvious that some circles are hoaxes. What causes the genuine crop circles remains a mystery. However, with the evidence that is available, one can form his or her own opinion.

"A curious phenomenon." Scientific American. 43 (1880): 25.

Anderson, Alun. "BritainÕs Crop Circles: reaping by whirlwind?" Science. V253. 30. Aug 1991. 961-962.

"Crop Circle: Frequently Asked Questions." Enigma Journal. 12 Feb 2000. http://www.cropcircleresearch.com/Enigma/8/1.html.

"Crop Circles Hoaxes." Skeptic. (1999). Expanded Academic Index. 27 Jan 2000. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/usclibs.

Delgado, Pat and Colin Andrews. Circular Evidence: A Detailed Investigation of the Flattened Swirled Crops Phenomenon. London: Bloomesbury, 1989.

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. "Crop Circles." HarperÕs Encyclopedia of Mysterical and Paranormal Experience. 1991 ed.

"Ionised whirlwinds could create crop circles." New Scientist. 2 Sep 1989: 30. Jones, Edwin R. (2000). Personal Interview

Meaden, G.T. The Circles Effect and Its Mystery. Wiltshire: Artetech Publishing Company, 1989.

Melton, J. Gordon. "Crop Circles." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 4th ed. 1996.

Nickell, Joe. "Crop Circle Mania Wanes: An Investigative Update." Skeptical Inquirer. (1995). Expanded Academic Index. 27 Jan 2000. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/usclibs/.

OÕConnell and David Welch. Crop Circle Hoaxing. 31 Jan 2000. http://indigo.ie/~dcd/hoax.html.

Stacy, Dennis. "UFO Update (Stonehenge Monuments)." Omni. full-text database 15 (1993). Expanded Academic Index. 2 Feb 2000. http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/usclibs/.

Vigay, Paul. "Crop Circles: What is it all coming to?" Enigma Journal. 12 Feb 2000. http://www.cropcircleresearch.com/Enigma/17/1.html.