Encounter Atlas
Crop circles are patterns of flattened grain that appear in fields, often overnight, from simple circles to vast fractal designs. They cluster in southern England, especially Wiltshire near Avebury and Stonehenge, and became linked to UFOs and mysterious energies.
In 1966 a banana farmer at Tully, Queensland said he saw a saucer rise from a swamp and leave a flattened circular 'nest' in the reeds. Circles multiplied in England through the 1980s. In 1991 two men, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, revealed they had been making circles since 1978 with a plank, rope and a wire loop on a cap to keep their lines straight, and showed reporters how.
Since then artist teams have openly made ever more complex formations, such as the 409-circle design at Milk Hill in 2001. All tested circles have been consistent with human makers, though some visitors still report odd lights and feelings in them.
Browse 10,622 US Air Force Project Blue Book case files on the map or by state.
What witnesses report
- Flattened crop in precise geometric patterns
- Appearing overnight
- Bent rather than broken stalks
- Lights reported over fields
Famous cases
- 1966Tully saucer nest
Tully, Queensland - 1991Bower and Chorley reveal their method
Southampton, England - 2001Milk Hill formation
Wiltshire, England
Seen the Crop circles?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
