Crop Circles

1. Crop Circles Squared Away Rosalie Stewart

2. What are Crop Circles? • Crop circles are geometrical patterns (not necessarily circular) found in cultivated crops. • They are studied by so-called “cereologists”

3. When Did Crop Circles First Appear? • Some sources say as early as the 17th century and earlier. • Others say that the first documented case was in 1880 by John Rand Capron. • A case was “sort of” documented in Australia in the 1960’s. • The first time crop circles were publicized by the media was 1978 by Doug Bower and Dave Chorley in Hampshire, England. (they kept up the hoax that it was extraterrestrials till 1991)

4. Wheat Oats Spinach Grass Peas Rice Linseed Maize/corn Oil-seed rape Sunflowers Mustard Barley Sugar-beat Rye Even more.... What Plants Are Crop Circles Found In?

5. Ball Lightning Whirlwind vortex Plasma vortex Earth energies Extra-terrestrial origin Underground archeological sites Chemical applications Hoaxes The Military The Devil Rutting Hedghogs God force What are some explanations of crop circles?

6. What are signs that a crop circle is “real”? • Expanded nodes • Electromagnetic Response • Dowsing Techniques • Validity of the Symbol • Some residual material (like the layer of oxidized lead found after the Persied Meteor Shower)

7. What is some evidence to suggest it is all done by hoaxers? • Escalation in frequency. • Geographic Distribution • Increase in complexity • Nocternal • Cereologists who insist some circles are genuine never use blind testing to eliminate bias from their experiments.

8. So, How Would Someone Go About Making a Crop Circle? • First, find a religiously/historically significant place. • Find some obscure symbolism that somehow relates to the place • Map out a design (If you feel it is necessary) • Obtain some standard surveying equipment, along with appropriately sized ropes and boards. • Choose a time when there is much natural lighting, i.e. a full moon. First, you won’t risk getting caught by using lights. Second, a full moon adds credibility to the site. • Hang out somewhere nearby till dark to scope out the locals and leave when people head in for the evening. • Park somewhere a car won’t be noticed and walk to the site, preferably through the woods as so to not attract attention. Or alternately, drop the equipment off to the field, park somewhere else and walk there without arousing suspicion with bulky equipment. • Make the crop circle. • Leave.

9. Scientific Testing • Has already been done!!! • People (Circlemakers) have been contracted many times to make crop circles, with no artificial lighting, at night, without detection from the public, that many experts refuse to attribute to human creation. • Blind testing of sites (inside and outside the circles, different fields, and known hoaxes) for a pre-established set of requirements in order to be considered a genuine crop circle.

10. Why Do People Persist in Their Believe? • Desire to believe in a higher power than themselves • Pseudo-scientific jargon such as “plasma vortexes” and “Microwave Transient Heating” used to describe possible explanations of crop circles • The titles of “Dr.” and “Biophysicist” before peoples’ names implies credibility. • Supports preconceived ideas of the universe. • Distrust of real scientists and science.

11. Occam’s Razor: All things being equal, The simplest solution is the best.