A mysterious monolith has appeared in the Nevada desert close to Las Vegas, sparking speculation.
The rectangular prism's surface reflects the desert landscape surrounding the mountain peak - but its origins and purpose are a mystery.
Las Vegas police said that members of its search and rescue unit found the otherworldly object over the weekend near Gass Peak, part of the vast Desert National Wildlife Refuge.
At 6,937 feet, it is among the highest peaks in the area north of Las Vegas.
"We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water," the police department wrote.
"But check this out!"
Photos accompanying the department's post show the strange structure standing tall against a bright blue sky, with distant views of the Las Vegas valley.
It evokes the object that appears in the Stanley Kubrick movie "2001: A Space Odyssey."
It is the latest in a series of mysterious shiny columns popping up around the globe since at least 2020.
In November 2020, a similar metal monolith was found deep in the Utah desert.
Further sightings came in Romania, central California and on the famed Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.
All of them disappeared as quickly as they popped up.
The Utah structure, which captured the world's imagination during the pandemic, is believed to be the first in the series.
It stood at about 12 feet and had been embedded in the rock in an area so remote that officials didn't immediately reveal its location for fear of people getting lost or stranded while trying to find it.
Hordes of curious tourists still managed to find it, and along the way flattened plants with their cars.
Two men later tore the structure down, over fears of the impact on surrounding nature.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service said it is worried the same level of damage could happen at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, which was established to protect bighorn sheep and is home to rare plants.
“People might come looking for it and be coming with inappropriate vehicles or driving where they shouldn't, trampling plants,” said Christa Weise, the refuge's acting manager.
