There are so many crop circles in the UK that it’s probably more unusual to go by a field that doesn’t have one.  There aren’t as many strange crop occurrences in the United States, and even fewer in Canada – but we’ve had a few. Sadly, most of ours just aren’t as fancy or as large as the ones in the UK.

So, what causes these field formations?

Let me say right off the bat – yes, there are hoaxes out there, most of them quite obvious. But I’m talking about the ones that are so geometrically perfect, it’s unthinkable that humans could pull them off without super-special-awesome equipment and eight weeks of work. Most crop circles appear overnight, some within only a few hours.

Before I move on to debunk the debunkers, think about this:

The crops that have been affected by crop circles aren’t just flattened down. The stalks are bent at a 90-degree angle, with small “explosions” (called nodes) at the bend. They have been intricately woven together. Strange metallic residue and burn marks are quite common. Electronics often fail while inside a crop circle. Batteries have been instantly drained. Animals refuse to cross the border of a crop circle. They appear overnight, and some of them are huge.

All right, let’s look at the top crop-circle causes, according to debunkers.

1. It’s obvious that crop circles are largely caused by tornadoes.

Okay. Let me just say this: Tornadoes rip and destroy. They don’t go basket-weaving in a field and leave everything else untouched.

2. Crop circles can be attributed to rain.

Uh-huh. Okay. Because rain falls in such perfect patterns, bends the stalks, burns the field and leaves unknown residue. No. Just no.

3. Clearly, crop circles are hoaxes.

I’ll go with that. There are obvious hoaxes out there. But not all crop circles were made by a group of kids with two-by-fours. Take a look at the Six-Arm Julia Set (pictured). This particular crop circle measures in at over 900 feet in diameter, spanning 10 tramlines. It appeared within a matter of hours in a quiet field in Milk Hill, Wiltshire. Explain that one to me.

4. Well, then, I’m afraid I simply don’t have an explanation.

And this is the best explanation of all.

I have no idea what causes crop circles. Are aliens playing a giant game of checkers on our planet? Is it the Earth itself? Who knows. But I’d rather have someone admit that they have no explanation rather than come up with ridiculous theories about rain or tornadoes or fire.

I say we just keep enjoying the beautiful patterns that spring up in our fields.

Here’s a beautiful gallery of crop circles, sorted by year > http://www.lucypringle.co.uk/photos/

Here are some of the Canadian formations > http://www.cropcirclequest.com/

And this is just an interesting article > http://www.skepdic.com/cropcirc.html