© Norwegian Crop Circle Group    |    http://uk.kornsirkler.org   |   post@kornsirkler.org

Related phenomena..?

Circular patterns and formations do not only occur in grain fields, beans, thistles, corn, rice, reed, wild grass and so forth. Circlular formations (as rings, concentric rings or spirals) is also found in other media at different seasons all around the globe.

TREE CIRCLES
ICE CIRCLES
SNOW CIRCLES
SAND CIRCLES

TREE CIRCLES

THE CZECH REPUBLIC

BENT TREE TRUNKS!
Circles have occasionally appeared in trees (forests) where the actual trunks, which are bent towards the ground, form a ring. Thick tree trunks are bent right above the root in a similar way to the grain stems in the crop circles, as the images below, from the Czech Republic (shown on Italian television) clearly demonstrate. We can see that the trunks are bent towards the centre of the circle. Regrettably no pictures were taken from some altitude, but there are good close-ups of this rare phenomenon.

(Source: Internet: http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/mmmgroup/e-tree.html)

      
CZECH REPUBLIC  Thick tree stems bent by the root            Trees bending to the ground    PHOTOs: Web ads. above.   

CANADA, Grand Lake, New Brunswick  

Two tree circles, each approximately four meters in diameter, were discovered in a pine tree seedling forest in Canada in the late 1960's. The trunks, about three inches thick, were bent right above the root. All the trunks were layed down flat to the ground, the tops of the trees pointing towards the outside of the circle. An eyewitness to the incident reports that police and army personnel were on the scene. People in their cars were motioned to not stop, but to move along. Months later the trunks were cut, and fencing erected around the effected area. Unfortunately we have no photos of the two pine tree circles, but the incident, told by the eyewitness, a now fifty year old Canadian, is most interesting and can be read here.
 

UNKNOWN LOCATION 

In 1984 a tree circle was discovered by a farmer. A group of thirteen (!) meter high pine trees were found to be all laid down into an anticlockwise swirl. The circle was surveyed, photographed and videofilmed by experienced crop circle researchers, but unfortunately this was not done until 1988 - four years after the circle had formed. At that time, the trees in half of the formation were still laid down, where as in the other half a hawthorn tree had grown up through it and pushed it all up. Because the farmer does not want any publicity, the location of the circle has been withheld.

The story is reported by the well-known crop circle researcher and photographer Busty Taylor in his article “Of things seen on the ground” at the web site The Cereologist (by CCCS – Centre for Crop Circle Studies). We contacted Busty Taylor (in 2003), hoping to obtain permission to present a photograph of the tree circle at our web site, but Taylor answered that he will make the information available “in due time”. All we can say, is: We are indeed looking forward to seeing the photos/video shot of the circle, and to get his full version of this very interesting story! We pray that Mr. Taylor won't "keep us on the rack" for too long, as more than 20 years have passed since the circle occured. It's our guess that this information will be of great interest to all concerned about the crop circle- (& tree circle) enigma.

 
ICE-CIRCLES

NORWAY, Sandvika, Bærum  (a suburban town south of Oslo)  

Circles also appear in ice! This perfectly circular ice formation appeared in the Sandvika River, Norway on the 5th of February 2002. Asker og Bærum Budstikke (the local newspaper) wrote the following about the phenomenon.

SANDVIKA  Feb. 15th 2002  PHOTO: K. Helbak

SWEDEN, Piteälven river south of Älvsbyn (Northern Sweden)    

Gösta Nilsson discovered this ice ring on the Piteälven river south of the little town of Älvsbyn in northern Sweden in January 1987. The inner circle diameter is approximitly fifty metres. The photographs below have been published in "Alien Art: Extraterrestrial Expressions on Earth", a book by Sarah Moran (introduction by Erich Von Däniken), Quadrillion Publishing, USA 1998. ISBN 1-85833-859-X. The author has these comments to the ice circle.

The photographer, Clas Svahn, (a researcher for UFO Sweden) states: "Gösta Nilsson, seen in the pictures, witnessed how the fifty metre wide ice floe had formed during a period of several weeks. Such rotating sheets of ice form as ice fragments gather where a river makes a turn, or on any flowing water. This is an unusual, but well known phenomenon, and not the least mysterious".

The Norwegian Crop Circle Group is aware of the prevailing theory of the making of the ice circles, but feels there is reason to question whether this theory supplies the full solution, as ice circles can also be found in small ponds with stagnant water - one even include an extension to the circle! See photograph further down from Churchville, Maryland, USA.

A scientific study carried out by the National Institute for Discovery Science, Las Vegas, (investigating another ice circle occuring February 21st 2002 in NE Utah), suggest (at page four) "that an implement was used to create a near perfect circle of 5 feet 9 inches in diameter into very thin ice. It was concluded from the investigation that the circle had been carved or gouged, possibly by anti-clockwise rotation of a hard or sharp implement, and was not melted into the ice". The study in PDF-format is to be read here.
   

        
SWEDEN Gösta Nilsson by Piteälven river,  Jan. 1987  C.S.         SWEDEN Close-up of the circle PHOTOS: Clas Svahn

SWEDEN Owerview of the ice circle on the Piteälven south of Älvsbyn in northern Sweden, Jan. 87 FOTO: Clas Svahn

NORWAY, Kongsberg

The beautiful ice formation at the photo below was found early in the day on December 18th, 2005! The circle, measuring approximately 3-4 meters in diameter, had formed in the middle of the fast streaming water of the River Gravdøla. The surface of the circle was smooth and regular, as compared to the surrounding ice cover close to the banks. The circumference of the formation was sharply drawn, and patches of rime were dotting the circle. The periphery of the surrounding ice was decorated with elements of rime that had frozen into a fine ridge. At the time of the discovery, the temperature was minus 14 degrees Celsius. This cold temperature had lasted only a few days prior to the discovery.

Per Olve Tobiassen and his partner, Anne Rygaard, were taking a walk at the foot of the Skrim Mountains, near the town of Kongsberg, and discovered the formation on their way home. The circle of ice was easily seen from the road, where the photos were taken. According to Tobiassen, the ice floe was 100% circular. "One might wonder how such a thing may has formed", he says. The River Gravdøla joins with the Kjørstad River some hundred yards further down, and then pours out into the larger River Numedalslågen. Some more info here.

NORWAY, Gravdøla River, near Kongsberg,   December 18th 2005                             PHOTO: Per Olve Tobiassen

CANADA - Sudbury, Ontario

On the 9th of December 2005 the ice circle underneath was found near Sudbury, Ontario, in snow-covered creek ice. The seemingly perfect circlular formation is approximately 12-18 metres (40-60 feet) in diameter, with a 2.5-5 centimetre (1-2 inch) deep 'V'-shaped groove in the ice defining the circle's perimeter. There is another possible groove a few inches inside of the outer groove.

The circle is in a bend of the creek. According to Paul Anderson at the Canadian Crop Circle Research Network it might be possible that this is a type of ice ring that has formed from a swirling eddy, as is believed to be the cause of most such formations (with more diffuse edges). Yet the sharp, incised edge is more difficult to explain, and in this regardis is similar to the ice circle at Delta, Ontario in 2000 (see photo just below). A strong, unpleasant smell had also been reported a few weeks previously in the area.

Source: The Canadian Crop Circle Research Network - CCCRN
 

CANADA, Sudbury, Ontario  -  December  9th 2005
Close up of the upper side (shot from another angle).	Close up of the right side.   PHOTOS: David Chevrier

CANADA - Delta, Ontario

On December 2nd, 2000, this beautiful ice-circle appeared in Delta, Ontario in Canada. The ring was found set into a thin surface of ice on a pond. The delicate formation is approximately four and a half metres in diameter and the width of the actual ring was found to be even seven and a half centimetres. Surrounding ice and ground were covered with a light dusting of snow, with no Human footprints or other markings of Human intervention perceivable.

Source: The Canadian Crop Circle Research Network - CCCRN.

CANADA   Delta, Ontario - December 2nd, 2000                                PHOTO: Cathie Whittaker


USA - Norwalk, Connecticut

On March 11th 2003 an Ice Circle or Ice Ring appeared in a private residents' back yard pond in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA. Precisely etched into thin ice, about 1/4 inch thick, about twenty six feet in diameter. It formed during the night, in a section of a tributary that feeds the Silvermine River in Norwalk, and amazingly, formed a "tangent" with the pond wall! The ice-circle formation was discovered by the owner of the property at about 6:00am, after night temperatures fell to about 16 degrees Fahrenheit, the circle remained frozen until later that afternoon, melting only after most of the ice around it had disappeared.

Apparent in the photograph, and affirmed by the pond owner, the ice showed no sign of having been swirled by rotating water that froze. No trees overhung the Ice Circle, and nothing unusual was reportedly heard or seen by the residents, or neighbours, in association with its creation. The pond belongs to the owner, is in his backyard... and they have a dog that usually barks if something's in his yard.

Source: http://www.cropcircleanswers.com/Icecircle_2003.htm

USA Norwalk, Connecticut, found in a private residents backyard March 11th 2003  © Millennium Research

USA - Churchville,  Maryland 

THE FIRST ICE PICTOGRAM?
In February 2001 this ice circle close to Churchville (twenty miles north-east of Baltimore) in Maryland, USA was reported. The formation that measured ten metres in dimeter is unique. Unique because it consisted of not only a ring in ice but also an extension, a small linear feature that is attached to the ring in a purposeful manner! (See diagram to the right.) The extension points away from the viewer on the photograph. A similar pattern occurred as a crop circle in a wheat field near Whiteparish in Hampshire, England in 1987. But the most interesting thing about this event is that the extension feature of this ice pictogram challenges every hypothesis that ice circles are made by natural forces (like underwater currents etc.). Ed Sherwood of Millennium Research, Santa Monica, California, USA, is trying to interpret the symbol in this article.

      
USA  Churchville, Maryland - Febr. 2001      PHOTO: L. Winer               Diagram of the ice circle: Ed Sherwood
         

NORWAY - Snåsa, Nord-Trøndelag  (in the middle of Norway)

ICE PICTOGRAM ON THE GROUND!
The 11th of December 2003 a very strange pattern made of ice was discovered at Snåsa in Nord-Trøndelag (in the middle part of Norway, 100 km north of the town Trondheim). This circular and geometrically perfect pattern (here looking somewhat irregular, due to a thin layer of snow that had blown up around it), was approx. 15 metres in diameter. It was made by 2-3 cm high ice elements that were standing out like a relief on a field of fodder grass. The phenomenon is probably unique, as it was not found on the surface of water, but superimposed on the ground. There is no water (river or lake) at the location where the pattern was found. Soil samples from the ground was sent to BLT Research Team, USA, for analyses, to see if some chemicals applied topically might serve as an explanation to why the ice had formed in this design. The Laboratory test, however, revealed nothing unregularly.  (More info about the ice circle can be found here).

      
NORWAY, Snåsa, Des. 11th 2003             PHOTO: Victoria Flasnes          Diagram of the ice relieff:  A. Müller

SNOW FORMATIONS

NORWAY, The Hardanger Mountain Plateau (central part)  

At 7.45 am on the 24^th of April 2004, the owner of a mountain cabin at The Hardanger Plateau (large Mountain plateau in the central southern part of Norway, 800–1200 metres of altitude) discovered this circle in snow only a couple of metres from the outhouse wall. The circle was about two metres in diameter, and its perfectly circular shape astonished the cabin owner. No tracks led to or from the circle, except a fox track that passed close to the circle.

The weather was sunny and clear when the circle was discovered, but it is not known at which time it might first have appeared. According to the cabin owner, at the time of the discovery, the snow cover was about 2 metres deep at the spot where the circle was found. He also estimates that it was placed at the shoreline of a lake situated close to the cabin. Due to the thick snow cover it is difficult to say whether the circle was positioned above dry land or slightly farther out, above the water of the lake.

      
NORWAY, Hardangervidda M. Plateau,  2004.04.24        Close up with fox track to the left.  PHOTOS: Ola Kaupang

NORWAY, Hardanger M. Plateau, Haukelifjell (Tovdal in Midthei)

A rather unusual impression was found in the snow at Haukelifjell, at Easter in 1991. The three small circles, fifty to sixty cm in diameter, that were found at Tovdal in the area of Midthei, were composed of several five cm deep concentric rings. The distance from the edge of one circle to the edge of the next, was approximately three metres. Unfortunately the photo only shows two of the circles. The long tracks that can be seen around the circles on the photograph, were made by the observer's skis. The drawing to the right, made by the land owner, shows the full impression/formation.

Prior to the discovery of the impression, the observers saw strange lights in the sky. Three subsequent evenings, at the same time, they observed a luminous object (changing colours from red to shining bright/metallic lustre to green) hovering in a fixed position in the sky for half an hour, above the location where the imprints were found. The incident was reported to the organisation UFO Norway, that visited the location, and collected snow samples from within the circles and from outside the pattern. In spite of the fact that the samples were collected ten to eleven days after the formation was discovered, one of the samples from within the circles showed a slight variation in bacterial growth compared to the control samples.

Source: UFO Norway. Published with permission. 

    
NORWAY, Hardanger Plateau, Haukelifjell, Easter 1991          Survey showing the whole pattern.     Photo: UFO-Norway

RUSSIA, Moscow

On the 20^th of December 1990 a Russian gentleman, K. Avdeyev was watching the evening news on television, when his attention was drawn to the window. Outside it looked like daytime, even though it was late in the evening. He approached the window, and as he looked out (his apartment was on the 9^th floor), he was dazzled by a very bright sphere of light, approximately 2-3 meters in diameter. The light remained in place for 40-60 seconds before it suddenly disappeared.

The next morning at about 10 o'clock, a circular pattern was found in the snow on the ground, exactly below the point where the sphere of light had been observed. The pattern measured eight metres in diameter and was made up of twenty two concentric rings. The rings were spaced twenty cm apart. The height of each snow ring was six to eight cm. Interestingly, a separate set of three rings was integrated into the pattern close to the periphery of the large rings (see the photo below).

The incident was reported in the Russian UFO magazine HAO, issue 3, 1991. The photograph (a copy made from the black and white front cover photo of the magazine) is, as far as we know, the only available photograph of the snow formation. Ilyes (CSSS/US-network) has studied the case, and you can find her full article at the web address below. The original Russian article, translated for Ilyes by american Leslie Spotkov, Assistant Director of the North Olympic Library System in Port Angeles, WA, is rendered here.

Source: Ilyes, National Coordinator, Centre for Crop Circle Studies / US Network, published at
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/ilyes/moscow97.html

RUSSIA, Moscow. Snow formation found on the ground close to an apartment building December 20th 1991.	Russian article about the     formation.	Published in HAO UFO-    magazine issue 3, 1991

RUSSIA, Cyxom Lore (Ural-region)

Early in the morning on Tuesday, November 23rd 2004, employees at the primary school in the Russian town Cyxom Lore found three large snow circles (spirals) on the snow covered ground. The largest spiral was measure at thirty metres (!) in diameter, the middle one was ten metres, and the third one was smaller, no measurement given.

At first they thought is was a joke, but changed their minds later on. They came to the conclusion that it might have been "aliens", because people had reported seeing an unusual glow over the school the previous day the spirals arrived.
To be on the safe side (it is a school and so there are children) the school director informed the Office of Epidemic Care and Prevention. The specialists who examined the scene could not determine the source of the spirals, and decided to measure for radioactivity and electro-magnetic radiation. No anomalous values were found.

Source: http://www.ufoplaza.nl/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2114

Thanks to Andreas Müller & Bert Janssen for providing the info and the translation from Dutch! ♥

                        
RUSSIA Three circles (spirals) found in the snow by the primary school in Cyxom Lore Nov. 23 2004  PHOTOS: Internet
 

APPEAL: If any of our readers have photos - or information - about snow circles in any other countries or regions we would very much appreciate your input, to help gather as much information about this phenomenon as possible. Please contact us at: post@kornsirkler.org.

SAND CIRCLES

USA, Hug-point, Oregon (local beach)

On the 13^th of September 1994, a large formation in the sand made up of 33 (!) concentric rings, was found on the beach near Hug Point on the southern coast of Oregon. The sand formation was discovered by David Jinks and some friends. The photographs were taken by Karen Svoboda. The photos below are the only existing record of this formation. Because the rings were located below the high-tide line, the physical traces of it would have been obliterated within 48 hours after their arrival. However, when crop circle researcher Ilyes visited the location 6 months later, the energies from the formation were still measurable. (By Subjective Dowsing Method). She could locate the exact position where the rings had been placed six months earlier. Soil samples, along with control samples, were taken 18-24 cm below the surface, and these were sent for laboratory testing. The results showed an increase in the anion level at 51,1% compared to the level in the control samples taken outside the pattern.

The photos and information is rendered with permission from Ilyes. The full report can be found at the link below:

Source: Ilyes, National Coordinator, Centre for Crop Circle Studies / US Network, published at
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/ilyes/hug97.html

      
USA Oregon, Hug Point. High contrast section of sand rings.         The circle can be seen in the ▲aprox. centre of the photo.        

USA Oregon, Hug Point. The whole formation made up of 33 rings.   PHOTOS: Karen Svoboda
 

COLOMBIA, Tuparro  (in the Parque Nacional, on the banks of Orinoco River)

On the 17^th of January 1996 American Michael Brein came across a sand formation on the banks of the Orinoco River, that separates Colombia and Venezuela (see the photo below). Brein was originally exploring ancient burial caves along the Venezuelan side of Orinoco. Accidental circumstances though made the team cross the narrow river. Brein was very surprised when he discovered this strange pattern in the sand at the other side, at a very desolate location in a Colombian National Park, the Parque Nacional in Tuparro. Michael Brein (Ph.D, MBA) was at that time ambassador for the MUFON (UFO organisation) and had visited several crop circles. However, he was unfamiliar with patterns in sand. He took the time to photograph the formation, but no further investigation was carried out.

Michael Brein confirms to the Norwegian Crop Circle Group that "the discovery of the pattern is certainly NOT meant as a joke" (as some might believe while reading the adventurous travelogue reported on his web site), and adds: "It is my sincere belief that the formation was not man-made. But to be honest, I have no evidence to support this view, and can thus not claim with certainty that it was not man-made. The only thing I can say to substantiate my opinion is that except for the two employees at the four room hotel where we stayed, there were absolutely no one in the area. It could of course be possible that one or two of the employees had made the formation, but I only found scattered footprints in the vicinity of the pattern, and it just seemed unlikely to me that only one or to persons could have managed to make the pattern. And WHY should anyone have bothered to? Our group arrived unexpectedly in the area, and there were no other people in the area".

Brein is happy to share the experience with others that might be interested, but emphazises that he cannot contribute any further information. After all the time that has passed since his discovery, the only thing we can do, he conveys, is to allow ourselves to wonder about the formation.

The far travelled adventurer runs the company Michael Brein’s Travel Guides. The story is published with his permission.

Source: http://www.michaelbrein.com/tales/circles3.htm

COLOMBIA, in the Parque Nacional in Tuparro, 1996.01.17.

CLICK TO ENLARGE!            Photos © Michael Brein

CANADA, Etzikom, Alberta

On the 19^th of April 2001, the Canadian crop circle organisation CCCS received a report about a “crater like” circle in soil. The circle was located in an area of pasture-land in the vicinity of Etzikom, Alberta. The nearly perfectly circular formation with a high standing surrounding rim measured about 3,6 m in diameter. Investigators from AUFOGS inspected the circle. Three small holes or indentations were found inside the formation, in a roughly triangular configuration, near the outside perimeter. Rust-coloured "flakes" were found on the surrounding ground. CCCS suggests that it is possibly a meteorite crater, although a study by the Department of Geology from the University of Lethbridge found no direct evidence of this (although that was still their conclusion). A neighbour reported seeing a "funnel of fire" light in the sky about two weeks previous over the same location, which lasted about an hour.

Source: CCCRN - The Canadian Crop Circle Research Network
http://www.cccrn.ca/othercircularphenomena.html

CANADA, Etzikom, Alberta.  19th of April 2001
	CLICK TO ENLARGE!
To the left:      Crater-like formation in soil in an area of pasture-land. Top, right:       Close up of the interior of the formation. Bottom, right:  Detail of the perimeter.	© PHOTOS: Ken Masson

CANADA, Williams Lake, British Columbia

On the 1^st of September 1990, a five centimetre deep circular impression was found in the gravel surface of the drive at a farm situated near Williams Lake, British Columbia. The ring was fifteen centimetres wide and measured approximately nine metres in diameter. The gravel was pressed about five centimetres into the ground and seemed "pulverized" at some points. A glowing light was reported seen nearby.

Source: CCCRN - The Canadian Crop Circle Research Network / MUFON Canada, NAICCR
http://www.cccrn.ca/othercircularphenomena.html

CANADA, Williams Lake, British Columbia.  1st of September 1990
	CLICK TO ENLARGE!     © FOTOS: Marian Marcotte
To the left:        A circle, 9m in diameter, was found in the gravel drive. Top, right:       Close up, showing only the circle. Bottom, right:  The circle from another angle, marked out with planks.

GROUND IMPRESSIONS &
RINGS that we consider NOT to be
related to the crop circle phenomenon.

There might be some misunderstanding to what is a crop circle (patterns formed by softly downed vegetation), and what is not. Underneath you'll find examples of so called "ufo-rings", "fungus rings"/grass rings and strange circles found in the sand.
 

NORWAY, Espevær

The "ufo ring" at Espevær: No crop circle. Many people who contact The Norwegian Crop Circle Group bring up the subject of the strange ring at Espevær (small island community south of Bergen, Norway). An odd phenomenon indeed, no doubt about that. When we choose to treat the phenomenon here, it is to express that The Norwegian Crop Circle Group does not consider the Espevær ring to be any form of crop circle, nor that it is related to or has to do with the crop circle phenomenon. To this, the characteristics of these two markings seem much too different. However, when one "enters unfamiliar landscapes", nobody can guarantee anything a 100%. Our attitude is therefore: Make your own judgement.

On a full moon 1975 October night, several observations of a shining object flying in the skies towards Espevær were reported. Sometime thereafter, a large circular depression was discovered at Åkerve on the western part of Espevær proper. The circumference of the circle is sixty three meters, and the depression is approximately seven cm deep and forty cm wide. Scientists from the University of Bergen inspected the scene, but no one has been able to explain its origin. The ring is acclaimed the world's largest UFO imprint by some UFO-logists, according to the local tourist board. Most remarcable is that the depression is as distinct after all these years. Different persons have this to tell about their visit to the ring. 

     
ESPEVÆR   Close-up                      PHOTO: Øyvind Eiken             Overview picture                    PHOTO: Arild Barane
 

NORGE, Åfjord in the county of Nord-Trøndelag
 
Fungus ring in Åfjord: No crop circle! The impressive pattern shown underneath is litteraly made up of dead grass, and was discovered by elk hunters in 1999. The ring however - situated close to Storfjord in the community of Åfjord in Nord-Trøndelag - is still there. This almost perfectly circular ring measures 18,7 metres across, and the ring itself is 1 meter wide. At the centre of the large ring there is also a smaller circle at about 2,30 metres in diameter.

In 2002 the organisation UFO Norway was contacted, and the 30^th of August 2003 the formation was surveyed. Soil samples from both the rings and from the area outside the formation were collected. The organisation suspected that the pattern was a fungus ring, and the results from the laboratory examination confirmed this. The samples did indeed contain large concentrations of fungus spores and mould fungus. The controls samples taken outside the ring showed considerably lower concentrations of these substances. The conclusion was that the pattern of dead plants is a so called “witch ring”, caused by circular fungus growth. For further details (surveys and lab reports) see the report from UFO Norway (in norwegian).

The fact that mushrooms may grow in circles, and as a result produce such perfect rings, might come as a surprise to many. But it is indeed a fact that some fungus species have this capability. The way this occurs is that the first mushroom sends out equally long spores in all directions. From the end of these spores, a ring of mushrooms grows up. The original mushroom at the centre then produces poisonous substances and eventually dies. The soil in the central area remains poisonous for a period of time. The “new” mushrooms in the ring only send their spores farther outwards, and thus the ring grows in diameter with every new “generation” of mushrooms.

After some years, the vegetation inside the ring recovers, initially at the centre, where it all started. The fungus growth has enriched the soil with minerals, and as a result, the vegetation in this area is greener and more vigorous than before (see illustration). The forming of new fungus rings farther and farther out from the centre can go on for years, and in some cases rings as large as 100m in diameter have been found. If such fungus growth happens on a garden lawn, it might cause such great problems that the only solution is to remove the existing soil completely and sow a new lawn.

NORWAY  Åfjord, Nord-Trøndelag.	Fungus circle found 1999  PHOTOS: Kjell O. Rømma

NORWAY, Kragerø

A circle in grass, but no crop circle. In June 2004, a ring was discovered in the grass near the town Kragerø (on the southern coast of Norway). The ring appears because the grass that is making up the ring has a darker green colour than the rest of the grass. Two smaller rings, one at the centre of the large ring and one at the periphery, are also visible. These two smaller rings are made up of dark green, very vigorous grass that has grown higher than the surrounding grass. Such rings of vigorous, green grass this early in the season, often indicate the existence of fungus in the soil. In this case the rings have not been thoroughly examined, and thus the cause for the rings has yet not been clearly established. It is, however, clear that the rings are not made up by downed plants as is the case in crop circles, and that these rings are therefore not crop circles as we normally define them.  

NORWAY, Kragerø. Circle in grass found in June 2004	Detail of the inner ring. PHOTOS: The Norwegian Crop      Circle Group.

NORWAY, Værøy in Lofoten

A circle of grass, but no crop circle. At the island Værøy in the archipelago of Lofoten in northern Norway, a characteristic dark green ring in grass has been discovered not far from the road, next to a mountain crag. The circle appears because the grass in the ring is of a darker colour than the surrounding vegetation. According to biologists, such rings appear after mushrooms growing in a ring have died. The fungus growth has broken down organic material in the soil, thus released nutrients that the grass benefits from. The Norwegian Crop Circle Group will try to have the ring examined, and eventual reports will be published here.

NORGE, Værøy in Lofoten. A ring in grass discovered during the summer 2005.

Owerview photograph taken from the road.      FOTO: Kent Johansen

NORWAY, Levanger, Nord-Trøndelag

A HEART of grass..! Grete Eriksen living at Nesset outside the Town of Levanger (in the county of Nord-Trøndelag) discovered this ring shaped pattern at her lawn in August 2005. “A wonderful gift from above”, she thought! The Norwegian Crop Circle Group learned about the discovery and contacted Arnulf Løken in the organisation UFO Norway. After having examined the formation, he is convinced that it is fungus growth that has caused the heart shaped pattern, and that it is a fungus ring or a witch ring. The characteristics are there: A marked increase in the plant growth in the formation, as well as a darker coloration of the plants.

No soil samples were taken. However, Arnulf Løken refers to several similar cases he has studied, where he has been able to observe mushrooms appearing in the ring aerea later in the summer. According to the laboratory Labnett AS, the fungus involved in many cases can be microscopic, and in such cases, one will not see the mushrooms at all, only the grass ring.

There were additional patterns in the same lawn, one with the shape of the number 8 (or a infinity symbol), the other as a semi circle.  

NORWAY, Levanger, Nord-Trøndelag. A heart of grass!	A heart in the lawn, found in august 2005         PHOTOS: Heidi Gråwe

NAMIBIA, the desert on the west coast of Africa

Circles in SAND – apparently of another kind than other sand circles reported so far. These strange circles in the sand are found in the desert area on the west coast of southern Africa, from the southern part of Angola and down into Namibia. The circles measure from 2 to 15 meter in diameter, and there are thousands of them. They are in some cases circular patches in the sand with no vegetation growing in them, surrounded by low vegetation. In other cases the circular patches are surrounded by a narrow ring of vegetation, situated in an area otherwise rather empty of vegetation.

Strangely, the rings of vegetation seems to be of increased growth. The circles appear in extremely dry areas - where rainfall is between 100mm and 150mm a year - and are physically slightly depressed, but not hollow. Because of the depressing, the increased growth of the rings sorrounding is hardly to be explained by the water running towards the rings. One doesn't know when the rings occur, or for how long they have existed, but circles surveyed in 1978 is still there (in 2005).

According to Dr. Willem Jankowitz, dean of natural resources at the Polytechnic of Namibia, there was much mystery and romance associated with the circles. Urban legend had it that the "ancient people", the Ovahimba, lived in the circles or used them as dance areas. He said farmers in Namibia believe it is an "outside force" or a subterranean magnetic field that causes the circles to appear.

The circles have been subject to research since the early 1970s resulting in several articles in various scientific journals. Professor Gretel van Rooyen (at the University of Pretoria's Department of Botany) has since year 2000 led a four-year study into the circles, examining whether they could be the result of termite activity, fungus, radioactivity or even human activity. All these explanations have, however, been dismissed and the origin of the circles remain a mystery.

"We dug 2 metres deep, finding no reminicents of neither termites or fungi. We've ruled out the previous theories but there are no sound hypotheses, so we really can't say what it is". The circles have become a popular tourist attraction, and Namibian travel agents often include a visit to the area in their programs.

Sources:
http://www.margheritacampaniolo.it/crop%202004/fairy_circles_della_namibia.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3587431.stm
http://ufoarea.com/misc_fairy_rings.html

Namibia, Kaokoland     Photo: Thorstein Becker		Namibia, Kaokoland     Photo: Thorstein Becker
Pro-Namib region - "Fairy Circle". Photo: news.bbc.co.uk.	Namibia, Kaokoland    Photo: Th. Becker		North East Namibia,  Giribes Plains.  Photo: ufoarea.com.

© Norwegian Crop Circle Group    |    http://uk.kornsirkler.org   |   post@kornsirkler.org