The Avalon Foundation :|: Research - Examination of a Crop Anomaly in Soybeans

N. A. Reiter for The Avalon Foundation

File #Av04071801

07 August 2004

Background:

On 15 July, I was contacted simultaneously by several members of the Canadian Crop Circle Research Network regarding a report - just in - of an interesting crop event in Essex County, Ontario. Initial descriptions referred to the event as a mysterious bare circle in soybeans, discovered by the landowner approximately three weeks before. The delay in reporting of the event had occurred because the landowner had not been aware of any contacts for crop circle or UFO related in the area.

Contact information for the farm owners - hereafter referred to anonymously as the Woods family - was provided by Joanna Emery of CCCRN Ontario. That evening, I spoke at length with Mrs. Woods, and received a detailed account of the story of this circular feature. Arrangements were made for me to visit at the Woods farm on Sunday, the 18th of July. The essential story of the formation follows:

On the morning of the 24th of June, Mr. Woods, a now retired farmer, went to his garden located at the back of their home lot. Looking out across the young soybean field beyond the garden patch, he observed what appeared to be a burned area in the field. Mr. Woods investigated, then went to retrieve his wife who came back with him. What they found was an eerily perfect circular shape in the soybeans, at that point averaging about 3 inches high. The shape was defined by a region where the bean plants had been stripped of their leaves, and the remnants of upright stems were now a dark brown colour suggesting at least the appearance of having been burned or scorched. At the time of discovery, the shape of the affected patch of field was that of a simple circle with two small truncated triangular lobes or "ears" of very sharp definition, spaced 180 degrees apart. Mrs. Woods had originally estimated the circle to be about 15 feet across, although when finally measured, the diameter was somewhat greater. Over the following week or two, the remains of the discolored stems within the circle crumbled and seemed to dissolve or vanish, leaving a near pristine patch of smooth, bare earth. This was the condition the formation was in at the time of my evaluation.

Mrs. Woods kept a number of notes on the event, suspecting it to be rather unusual. One interesting observation had to do with surviving plants. Even on the day of discovery, the Woods noticed that in the affected pattern, a very small number - no more than perhaps eight - of the little bean plants appeared to be unscathed. Additionally, some of the plants near the periphery of the shape were visibly affected, but apparently still alive, and over the weeks following, have greened again and continued to grow. In this fashion, the overall profile of the shape is somewhat less clear at present than it was originally, particularly in the lobes. The curious little "survivor" plants within the circle continued to grow at a normal or near normal rate, as judged by their height and vigor.

Mrs. Woods attempted to reconstruct from memory and notes the weather conditions at the time of the circle formation. While not recalling a storm on the precise night before, at least two powerful thunderstorms had moved through southwest ON in the week preceding the discovery. Mrs. Woods indicated that she strongly believed the possibility that the circle may have been due to an unusually precise lightning hit.

Along with the thoughtful description of the event, Mrs. Woods also felt compelled to relate a potentially germane anecdote concerning an event from two years ago. While neither of the couple had seen anything quite like the present circle in this particular field before, another mysterious bare circle had supposedly appeared in another of their fields. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Woods, who lives with her husband and children perhaps a half mile to the east, had been startled one early summer night by what she had described as a line of flashing multicolored lights that had descended into a field containing wheat. The daughter investigated the next morning, and claimed to have found a circular patch within which the plants had been burned away completely. At the time, the Woods’ daughter did not report the matter to anyone outside of the family. No photographs of this earlier event were apparently taken. Mrs. Woods was careful to add that no such light display had been seen by her or her husband in conjunction with the new formation.

On 18 July, I crossed into Canada and found the Woods property with ease. I arrived at about 12:30 local time.

Investigative Procedure and Observations:

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the Woods, who proceeded directly to escort me out to the soybean field in question. They are an active and delightfully cordial retired couple, and filled with that exclusive no-nonsense wry humor of farmers since the beginning of history. The lay of the land in Essex County reminds one somewhat of the Netherlands, table flat from its own richness. The farms are tidy and prosperous looking, and it seems that there is little that could not grow vigorously in the dark clay soil there. The farm couple and the farm were a perfect match.

I could see the circle instantly, approximately a hundred feet from the northern edge of the field behind the Woods’ garden, and about the same distance from the eastern edge, which was fronted by a grassy drive. Figure A shows the juxtaposition of circle, field, and property. The photos below are views of the circle itself.

The Woods walked me out to the circle. Mrs. Woods admitted that it might be futile to look for unusual footprints, since she and her husband had walked to and through the circle a number of times since its discovery. Neither of them had seen anything incriminating at that time, either human, or of large animals.

After introducing me to the circle, the Woods departed back to the house, and I continued my investigation alone. I was permitted to pull my van down the grass strip to the east of the field, to shorten my trips to and from for equipment and supplies.

After photographing the feature from several angles, I then proceeded to measure it on three diameters. Because of the in-growth of plants at the periphery that apparently rebounded from the circle making event, the edges and lobes of the formation required some subjective chosen placement. Figure B shows a detailed depiction of the circle and its alignments. It should be noted that the axis of the lobe regions (perpendicular to field rows) is very nearly geographic N-S. Magnetic north appeared by compass to be about 10 degrees W of the local property lines and field rows. Later confirmation of magnetic declination at the co-ordinates of the site was made on-line, with the Canadian Geological Survey declination calculator. Declination at the site was 7° 26' W.

I could clearly see that Mrs. Woods’ description over the phone was quite accurate as to the condition of the plants and soil.

I next made several walkthroughs of the circle and nearby area using my Hall Effect magnetometer, and a magnetic compass. No significant deviations of the geomagnetic background were noted. A set of GPS co-ordinates was taken with our Avalon Foundation unit - an Etrex 5. No erratic or unusual behaviour of the unit was noted. A test call was made using my cell phone, and no interference or anomalous operation was noted. Mrs. Woods had indicated earlier that at the request of one of the CCCRN contacts, she had tried turning on a transistor AM radio in the circle. She had not noticed any anomalous effects.

As I prepared to perform soil sampling, a dark band of clouds moved in and it began to rain. The downpour was strong but quick, leaving considerable puddling in the headland rows. The cooling summer torrent also permitted me to make an observation that may be of help in ruling out one potential mechanism for the circle. It was asked of me later by a colleague in Texas whether or not any data existed that could confirm that the circle was not simply a puddle basin where rain from the late June downpours had collected and drowned young plants. While I had no laser level or other means of measuring slope and topography, by eye I observed that no more puddling was occurring with the cloudburst in the circle than in any particular row nearby. The first three rows of the N-S headland accumulated quite a bit, before being absorbed by the soil.

About a half hour later, I resumed my activities. I sighted a line cutting the circle and took approximate 300ml surface (down to .5 inch depth) soil samples at eleven locations along the line. Sampling was done by wooden spoon, and all samples were placed in clean plastic bags labeled on the outside with permanent marker. Three more sample sites were selected as well, one in a nearby sprayer path line, a second at a distant location, and a third in an interesting bare line that will be discussed seperately. Sampling locations are marked on Figure C. At the same time as the fourteen locations were sampled, I took "alternate" or duplicate samples at six of the locations.

Upon completion of the soil sampling, I turned my attention to the properties of plants in and near the circle. Two healthy field plants were selected and sampled whole. One of the intriguing "survivor plants" from within the circle was also sampled whole (with roots). No aberrations or deformation of plants bordering on the circle could be seen, except for those that seemed a bit smaller at the very periphery, presumably from time needed for recovery and greening. By following the faint puckered spots where the young bean plants within the circle had been, and died, I was able to dig cautiously in three places and found the thin shriveled remains of the original plant roots. These were carefully saved and packed away.

The final field activity performed after cleaning my tools and stowing samples and gear was to make a final walk-through of the circle with dowsing rods. No reaction was noted at any point.

I drove back to the Woods’ house, and chatted with Mrs. Woods whilst washing the mud from my boots as best I could. The clay soil of southwest ON is marvelously tenacious! I gave her a synopsis of my activities, and we went back over the entire story of the formation again for clarity’s sake. Both of the Woods and I then sat down at the kitchen table as I explained my plans for soil analysis, and asked Mr. Woods some specific farm and crop questions. One last question concerned what I felt could be a potentially important clue to the mystery- the previously mentioned bare path line, also shown above in figure B. As previously noted, the circle straddled a pair of sprayer path lines, although off center. To the west, the path lines continued to the far edge of the field. However to the east of the circle, over the approximately 40 to 50 foot stretch to where they end at the N-S headland rows, the 6 foot spaced paths were joined by a third path perfectly centered between them. This center path looked identical to the other sprayer path lines, and was a double-wide space between bean rows. All bean rows in the field appeared to be spaced on about 6 inch centers, with the sprayer paths and third path being 12 inch spaced.

The fact that the third path line did not extend to the west of the circle, yet ended at the edge of the eastern headland rows with the other sprayer path lines seemed significant. Mr. Woods had no idea about it, and indicated that they would consult the fellow who farmed the field. Both Woods agreed that they had simply not noticed the third line before. Was it merely coincidence that the circle showed up at the terminus of an off-center "oops" in planter setting or tractor route? Or could the short third path line actually have been a defoliated line that had appeared by whatever means that the circle had. If this was the case, it is curious the line stopped at the headland rows. A mystery within a mystery!

Shortly before my departure, the Woods' daughter and her family arrived, and we picked up the chat about the previous circle and odd lights from two seasons ago. Mr. Woods at this time also revealed that a neighbor to the north had found a more classical swirled crop circle in wheat last year as well.

By 16:00, I bid adieu to the Woods family, and departed for the Windsor area. I dropped off the fourteen primary soil samples and plant samples with one of my colleagues in LaSalle, for drying and for later shipment to me in the US, when the appropriate customs labelling could be determined. I returned to the US by 17:30 or so.

A Summary of Essential Data and Observations:

An at-a-glance summary of the on-site findings follows:

Description - a near completely defoliated zone in soybeans, in the shape of an interestingly precise (< 2.5% deviation of diameter) circle, with 180 degree N-S spaced truncated triangular lobes.
Geographical N-S alignment of lobes was confirmed using magnetic declination figures and measured values on-site.
Size - circular diameter between 21.5 and 22 feet. Diameter along lobe meridian 25 feet.
Location - Essex County, Ontario. Exact location noted by GPS, currently remaining undisclosed at landowners' request.
Approximate formation date - 24 June, 2004
Reported - 15 July, 2004
No groups or parties apart from those already noted were contacted.
Crop type - second year soybeans, brand and series unknown to landowner.
Crop rotation going back from 2004 - beans, wheat, beans.
Soil type - dark clay
Topography - v. flat
Application history - no spray applications made to field since emergence.
Weather history - at least two thunderstorms within week of discovery.
No plant abnormalities noted near circle.
No detectible distortion of geomagnetic field found.
No anomalous operation of electronics within area.
No dowsing reaction.
No significant signs of trespassing or vehicular or aerial intrusion observed by owners.
No evidence of larger animal intrusion.
No evidence of zone being a trough or puddle.
No perturbation, scorching or impact marks / holes at formation center that might be a hallmark of a high current density lightning hit.
Claimed rapid disintegration of stem and leaf remains may be a clue.
"Third path" line from circle to headland rows may be a clue.
Presence of very small number of survivor plants may be a clue.
Absence of weeds beginning to grow in open region may be a clue.
A few small slugs and insects were noted in circle zone as well as in other areas of field, indicating that any potential soil toxicity is not prohibitive to these life forms.

Updates and Literature Search:

On 24 July, I spoke with the Woods by phone, and inquired as to whether any new activity had occurred at the circle, and if any further information had come up by way of conversation with the farm renter. Mr. Woods indicated that the "third path" line had indeed been a result of the farm renter being off center with the start of a planter pass. The path of the tractor had been corrected at about the same spot where the circle had formed, apparently by coincidence.

A thorough search of non-pest related field pathologies online turned up further evidence to support the lightning strike hypothesis favored by the Woods. Online agricultural diagnostic databases at both the University of Delaware and North Carolina State University contain images and descriptions of lightning strike damage in open fields, with highly symmetrical circular "kill zones" up to 15 meters across being documented.

http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/SSDW/nonparatlas.html

One photo, found in an agricultural pest management database courtesy of The University of Georgia shows a fairly dramatic lightning damage circle in cotton. The appearance of the plant stems resembles the described appearance of the young bean stems. This photo may be seen on-line at:

http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1242075

The matter of the symmetrical "lobes" on the Essex County circle as well as the alignment of these lobes do complicate the lightning model, however.

On 26 and 27th July, I spoke again with the Woods and established that the circle did not appear to lie over a field tile run. I had speculated that if this had been the case, and the tile run had been water filled, then enough of a reduction in local soil impedence might explain a lateral N-S distortion of a lightning "kill zone" circle. Without digging or probing the soil of the circle region extensively, we probably cannot rule out the remote possibility that a very old section of forgotten tile might lie underneath.

Soil Analysis:

The six "alternate" samples noted previously were examined as a preliminary evaluation. I performed three basic tests of each sample: nuclear radiation surveying, extraction and measurement of magnetic ferrous components, and a standard agricultural soil analysis (performed at a certified agricultural testing lab in Ohio).

Our Baird Atomic 916 laboratory Geiger counter was used with 300 seconds acquisition time per sample to look for any signs of residual radioactivity. Results were negative.

Our standard Avalon Foundation "dry procedure" for magnetic soil component extraction was performed. Claims of anomalous quantities and forms of ferrous soil components from crop circle sites are widely and traditionally cited. While the basis for these claims is in need of continued evaluation, repeated application of magnetic soil testing protocols to a wide variety of earth surface anomalies is one of the primary methods of accomplishing this end. Results for the six alternate samples are shown thus:

Sample #	Sample Weight (g)	Extracted Magnetics (mg)	Magnetic Component Content (mg/g)

A-alt	51.7	6	0.12
F-alt	49.48	5	0.10
D-alt	35.57	6	0.17
M-alt	40.02	5	0.12
I-alt	33.91	3	0.09
L-alt	24.76	4	0.16

From the values derived, there does not seem to be any compelling evidence for significant distribution of magnetic ferrous soil components in the circle or vicinity. We do reserve final comment until samples from all fourteen of the sampled locations are tested

Agricultural soil analysis was performed on each of the six samples, using about 50 ml of each sample. Results are shown as Figure D and Figure E below. The numbers acquired do not seem to suggest any strong anomalous deviation. Sample DA, taken from the periphery of the bare circle, appears to have a somewhat lowered cation exchange capacity. However, comparing sample FA - from the bare circle center - with the other control locations, does not afford any significant deviation.

Figure D Figure E

I have since established that within legitimate customs procedures, the remaining fourteen soil samples - still in Ontario at this time - could be shipped directly to the agricultural lab used in our work. Pending the acquisition of funding to cover expenses, we will proceed with this. Any revision of general results from the more extensive testing will be duly noted in an update format.

Overall, it would be reasonable to conclude from these three tests that the mechanism for the formation of the circular patch:

Did not likely deposit any radioisotopes or induce any anomalous nuclear alteration of the soil species.
Did not seem to result in an anomalous distribution or concentration of ferromagnetic species in the soil.
Did not seem to affect the chemical and ionic properties of the soil in any appreciable way, or leave behind any appreciable residues of either an organic or inorganic sort.

General Conclusions and Discussion:

I have previously described the chronology and essential properties of this event, and have also disclosed results of three forms of analysis performed on a small set of soil samples from the property. I have continued a dialog with the property owner and family. What then would seem to be the most likely solution to this small mystery? From all the evidence acquired, as well as research into the topic of known forms of damage to crops in-situ, I would tender the following three possibilities, in order of their likelihood.

The most likely explanation for the formation is that of a low current density lightning strike into the soybean field, sometime during the week before the discovery when thunderstorms were known to have swept through the area. The lightning strike produced a "kill zone" in the young beans from surface and displacement currents. Agricultural database references exist that match our own observations, both in description and by limited photographic evidence. Anecdotal evidence from farmers here in Ohio adds to this, with accounts being related where circles of dead crop have been found in wheat and beans following an observed lightning hit. The lack of a fused or fulgaritic structure at the circle center appears to be the result of the physical properties of the lightning. These are highly dependent on the energy of dart leader and return stroke oscillations, as well as earth charges that would actually cause the discharge current density to be maximized at a point above the soil surface. The matter of the truncated triangular lobes requires more depth of investigation than is now possible; and thus unfortunately must remain speculative. In all likelihood, these lobes - being juxtaposed in meaningful fashion with field row orientation - indicate an anisotropy or slight difference in overall soil surface electrical impedence due to the plant rows. One avenue to understanding this would be to carefully examine the crop and soil properties of any other lightning kill circles with lobes. Overall, the extremely symmetrical form of the circle is striking, and would suggest that the homogeneity of electrical and physical properties of the soil, as well as surface flatness and uniformity, were exquisite. Our personal observations of the surrounding field would corroborate this. We should also consider that while the precision of the lobe shape areas may have appeared striking to the eye, in actuality, the factor of plant and row spacing allows for this to be accentuated. Consider the field with crop to be a analagous to a monitor or graphic display, with the minimum meaningful "pixel" size being about 3 inches by 6 inches - roughly the rectangular area formed by the bean plant to bean plant spacing, and row to row spacing. The kill zone area at the north lobe may have been differently shaped than the south lobe - it simply was not asymmetrical enough to extend to the next row, 6 inches away. To the eye of the observer, though, the sharp abrupt end of the lobe appeared intentional and "meaningful."
The second possibility would be the application or accidental release of a defoliant or lethal herbicide without the Woods' knowledge, in a very precise shape. In conversation with our ag consultants, I discovered that many herbicides break down into less assayable smaller organic species over about a week's worth of time, with moisture. Since both Mr. Woods and his renting farmer were quite aware of their own equipment and schedules, the only realistic possibility along these lines would be the intentional spraying of the circular patch by a trespassing party. Recent rumors in the farming community have suggested that Monsanto was implementing a clandestine program of test patch spraying to catch farmers re-using Roundup Ready soybeans. However, the Woods' non-use of Roundup Ready product would weigh against this already speculative possibility.
The third possibility would potentially take into consideration the matter of Woods' daughter's account of unidentified lights over a field followed by a similar circle two seasons ago. It would be the admittedly speculative possibility of a truly unknown device or process that would produce a crop kill zone with all the attributes of a lightning strike... but without the lightning. Certainly, the testimony from the Woods' daughter should be treated with all the weight and respect of any UFO report. However, we also must consider the notion that the two (unidentified lights and circle in wheat) may have been only circumstantially related, and that the bare circle may have formed for some other reason. Since the circle in wheat is now two years gone, nothing can be added as direct evidence. In general, no further commentary can be offered here at this time, without further similar events or sightings. The Woods' daughter and her family are to be heartily thanked for stepping forward with their information.

In closing, I would like to thank the following parties who gave their assistance and support to this project: Mr. and Mrs. Woods and their family, Joanna Emery, Paul Anderson, and Mike Bird of CCCRN, Ontario MUFON, Mr. Mark Flock, Nancy Talbott, and Pat Mason.

This study was conducted on behalf of The Avalon Foundation, the Canadian Crop Circle Research Network, and BLT Research Inc. Funding for soil analysis services was provided by Nancy Talbott of BLT.