Within days of its discovery, members of the public found the pillar using GPS mapping software and made their way to the remote location.

[13] The pillar was installed by unknown individuals in a red sandstone slot canyon in San Juan County, Utah.

[14] It was located on public land in an area known as Lockhart Basin,[15] which was part of Bears Ears National Monument at the time of installation.

[10] Within hours of the Utah DPS announcement, Reddit user Tim Slane had identified the object on Google Earth.

Slane told The Verge that "he was aided by clues like the cliffs' height, the canyon's erosion pattern (indicating a more exposed area), and a flat floor suggesting it wasn't frequently flooded (and, by extension, was near the top of a watershed)".

[19] Google Earth satellite images showed that the monolith was installed between August 2015 and October 2016, and that surrounding scrub vegetation had been cleared.

[20][21] Dutch journalist Nouska du Saar, who specializes in open-source intelligence, used Maxar satellite images to determine that the monolith appeared between July 7, 2016, and October 21, 2016.

[22][23] Within 48 hours of the DPS announcement, members of the public had reached the site and uploaded photographs and videos of the monolith to social media.

[1] A triangular prism,[8] it had three sides, was not magnetic, and appeared to be made of 3 millimeters (1⁄8 in) stainless steel or aluminum sheets, joined with rivets, with a hollow interior.

[26][27][28] There was silicone caulk or epoxy along the base, and striking the metal produced a dampened sound indicating some type of insulation inside.

[9] The New York Times said its unknown origin "provides a pleasant sensation of uncertainty", and that it might "lose its aura and power if we knew who had created it".

[11][13] The Utah Department of Heritage & Arts said in a statement on their Twitter feed that the monolith is vandalism, and are concerned about damage to ancient artwork and archeological artifacts in the region.

[2] One witness reported that the four men had pushed the monolith over without tools, while onlookers watched, saying "this is why you don't leave trash in the desert" before breaking it apart and carrying away the pieces in a wheelbarrow.

[40][41][42] The BLM in Utah released a statement on the agency Facebook page on November 28, 2020, saying they did not remove the monolith, and because the structure is considered private property they would not investigate it further, leaving it to the local sheriff's office.

[43][44] The local San Juan County Sheriff's Office said they could not devote the resources,[45] although they did post a Most Wanted poster on their Facebook page.

[2][46][47][48] Christensen posted the same video to TikTok and Instagram citing "clear precedents for how we share and standardize the use of our public lands, natural wildlife, native plants, fresh water sources, and human impacts upon them", and highlighting the damage done to the area by the large number of sightseers arriving in an area with no parking facilities or restrooms.