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Crop circles are geometrical formations of flattened crops found in England and elsewhere. They have been found in wheat, barley, canola, rye, corn, linseed and soy.
The phenomenon itself was observed in its current form after notable appearances in England in the late 1970s. Various explanations were offered for the phenomenon, which soon spread around the world. In 1991, two men, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, revealed that they had been making crop circles in England since 1978 using planks, rope, hats and wire as their only tools. Circlemakers.org a UK-based arts collective founded by John Lundberg have been creating complex crop circles since the early 1990s. .
Despite the evidence that crop circles are of human origin, various paranormal hypotheses have been proposed, although these all violate Occam's Razor.
Skeptical and scientific analysis:
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0801_020801_cropcircles.html This is an excellent introduction to crop circles, with a special emphasis on their value as art.
- http://www.csicop.org/si/2002-09/crop-circles.html The Center for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal looks at "crop circles" and is not impressed.
- http://www.siue.edu/GEOGRAPHY/ONLINE/Northcote06.pdf A geographical study that asks if the location of crop circles near major roads and population centres is just a coincidence?
- Brief summary of scientific literature on causes of crop circles
Circle creators, and information on making your own crop circles:
- http://www.circlemakers.org/ The most famous group of crop circle makers, founded by Doug Bower, Dave Chorley and John Lundberg.
- http://www.amtsgym-sdbg.dk/as/crop/ufofake.HTM An entertaining report on how an elaborate crop circle made by astronomy students at Amtsgymnasiet in Sonderborg, Denmark fooled crop circle "researchers".
- http://science.howstuffworks.com/crop-circle.htm How stuff Works explains how crop circles are made and how to make your own, with step by step pictures and complex circle patterns.
Pro paranormal explanation websites:
- http://www.cropcircle-archive.com A complete crop circle database site with a search engine and flash animations of crop circle constructions using the "ruler and compass" rule.
- http://www.cropcircles.org
- http://www.cropcircleresearch.com A page devoted to researching the phenomenon of Crop Circles - concentrating more on scientific research.
- http://www.lucypringle.co.uk This site is the de facto standard for comprehensive aerial photographs of the UK's crop circles.
- The Demon Haunted World, Carl Sagan (Random House, January 1996) pp. 73-77
- Faking UFOs, Roel Van der Meulen (Self Published, 1994)
- http://www.circlemakers.org
- The Field Guide: The Art, History and Philosophy of Crop Circle Making by Rob Irving and John Lundberg, edited by Mark Pilkington (Strange Attractor 2006) ISBN 0-9548054-2-9