A comparison of Google Earth Pro imagery reported by fact-checking outlet Teyit suggests the Utah monolith was visible by October 2016 and remained there in 2019—years before state personnel found it in November 2020. The images do not establish when it was installed or who made it.
What the Google Earth timeline shows
Teyit reported that Google Earth Pro imagery showed no monolith at the location in July 2016, showed it by October 2016, and still showed it in 2019. That supports a limited conclusion: the structure appears to have been in place by the October 2016 image and remained for years before its discovery. It does not pinpoint an installation date. The month-by-month comparison is Teyit’s report; the underlying, site-specific image acquisition metadata has not been independently verified here. Teyit’s analysis
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From discovery to removal
- November 18, 2020: Teyit reported that Utah state personnel encountered the structure during a helicopter operation to survey bighorn sheep.
- November 23, 2020: Teyit reported that Utah Department of Public Safety personnel published images of the object through official channels.
- November 27, 2020: The Bureau of Land Management said an unknown party or parties removed it that evening.
- November 29, 2020: The BLM confirmed the structure had stood on public land in its Monticello Field Office and said the agency had not removed it. BLM statement
Why an image date is not an installation date
Historical imagery records what was visible when a particular image was captured. If the monolith appears in an October 2016 image, that is evidence it was there by the capture date—not proof of the day it arrived. The date displayed in an imagery service also should not be treated as a statewide photography schedule: rural areas can retain older imagery while other locations receive updates.
Utah’s Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC) says Google imagery in some rural areas remained years old as urban areas were updated regularly. The state later selected Hexagon imagery for statewide coverage, while continuing to provide older Google imagery through its Google services. UGRC licensed imagery documentation
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Utah imagery resources—and what they can tell you
Statewide aerial imagery
In January 2015, UGRC announced a license for Google statewide high-resolution aerial photography. At the time, imagery from 2013 and 2014 flights covered about 98% of Utah, with southwest San Juan County expected later that year. The licensed product was described as 6-inch-pixel imagery with approximately 0.5-meter horizontal positional accuracy; those specifications apply to that licensed product, not necessarily to every consumer Google Earth image or the monolith location. UGRC also distinguished the licensed product’s access and reuse terms from consumer Google Earth and Maps. UGRC’s 2015 announcement · UGRC aerial photography data
Historical aerial-photo archive
The Utah Geological Survey describes a public aerial imagery database with imagery dates ranging from 1935 to 2020 in its January 2022 article. The database is useful for exploring Utah’s historical imagery, but its archive-wide date span does not confirm the monolith’s appearance in any particular 2016 image. The article described more than 1,200 imagery projects and more than 277,000 air photos in a 2021 database snapshot; those are collection totals, not counts for the monolith site. Searches can use a map, project metadata, and image markers. Some linked image downloads lead to USGS EarthExplorer, where a free user login is required to complete downloads. Utah Geological Survey database overview
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Why the BLM advised people not to visit
The BLM said the monolith had been installed without authorization on public land in a remote, undeveloped area. Publicity brought a surge of visitors to a site not equipped for heavy use. In its November 2020 statement, the agency reported vehicles parked on vegetation and human waste left behind; it also noted there was no cell service, restroom, or parking lot, and that high-clearance vehicles were required. The BLM advised people not to attempt a visit and said driving off designated roads and trails in its Monticello Field Office is illegal. These are conditions described in the 2020 release, not a current travel assessment; check with the BLM before making any travel decision. Field Manager Amber Denton Johnson said the site was “in a remote area without services for the large number of people who now want to see it.”
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