A shiny three-metre metal monolith discovered in the Utah desert in the U. S. has mysteriously disappeared.

A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter crew was counting bighorn sheep when they spotted something strange.

They landed the helicopter to take a closer look, and found the monolith protruding from the ground tucked in a red rock cove.

Mysteriously vanished

Now, more than a week after the monolith was discovered, it has mysteriously vanished.

The Utah Bureau of Land Management said in a statement on Facebook that it has heard "credible reports" of "an unknown party" removing the object on Friday (Nov. 27) night.

It said that it did not remove the structure, which is considered private property.

The statement added that "crimes involving private property" were handled by the local sheriff's office.

People visited the desert after the discovery

The helicopter crew that discovered the monolith did not reveal the object's location to prevent adventurers from attempting to locate the monolith.

But around 48 hours after the news of the discovery, people started posting pictures and videos on Instagram.

Many had successfully found the monolith on their own.

Drove six hours to see the monolith

According to BBC, a 33-year-old former US army officer, David Surber, drove six hours through the night to find it, after coming across a Reddit post purporting to have found its coordinates from the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter's flight data.

Surber wrote on Instagram:

"Awesome journey out to the monolith today. Regardless of who built it or where it came from. It was a positive escape from today’s world. Some for many people to rally behind and enjoy together."

A public information officer at the Utah Department of Public Safety told BBC that they did not encourage anyone to travel to the monolith as it could be dangerous.

However, they added that there was nothing they could do to stop the people who insisted on visiting, as the area is public land.

While some have theorised that the monolith is artwork made by human creators, its origin remains unknown.

Totally unrelated but follow and listen to our podcast here:

Top images from girlwithabus/IG & thespencerowen/IG.