FIntroduction to Crop Circles                                          F                                                                      FCircles have been appearing in a wide variety of crops since          Fthe 1930s and have been the center of much debate.  Various           Fexplanations have been put forth regarding their origin               Fincluding atmospheric phenomena, UFOs and even hedgehogs.             FThe circles generally appear between May and September when           Fthe crop in question has reached a mature height.  Circles            Fhave been found in wheat, barley, corn, rye, rape and even            Ftall grass.  The crops within the circle are flattened to             Fthe ground, usually without breaking the stalk of the plant           Fwhich continues to grow in a horizontal direction.  Even              Frape, which has a very brittle stalk and snaps easily under           Fslight pressure is bent or curved to force the plant into a           Fhorizontal position.  One of the most striking elements of            Fa crop circle is the pattern which is laid down within.  The          Fcrops are usually woven into a swirled or geometric pattern.          FOften the pattern is different at different levels, with              Fplants flattened at ground level swirled in a different               Fdirection from plants laying just above them.  Sometimes              Fplants are uprooted and flung from the circle, landing tens           For even hundreds of feet away.                                        FIt was thought for a time that the circles were caused by             Fstationary whirlwinds or vortices, but the sharp edge of the          Fcircles, define an exact line between crops that are flat-            Ftened and crops that appear completely untouched, throws              Fthis explanation into question.                                       FAnother possible explanation was that hedgehogs sometimes go          Finto a whirling dance which could account for flattened and           Fswirled crops.  Although the hedgehog theory was never                Fseriously embraced by the scientific community, its was               Fshown later that hedgehogs were completely incapable of               Fcreating the swirled pattern, bending crops without breaking          Fthem or making the edges of the circles as precise as they            Fappeared to be.  To date, there has not been a single,                Fprovable theory as to what causes the circles.  The only              Fexception might be hoaxes.  While it has been proven to be            Fpossible to hoax a crop circle convincingly, the sheer                Fnumber of circles which have appeared in recent years has             Fbrought up the question of why.  Why would anyone go to the           Ftrouble of hoaxing so many circles?                                   F/                                                                     FENG 1978 Headbourne Worthy                                            FCircle type: Large Satellite Quintuplet                               FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FDuring the summer of 1978 Ian Stevens                                 Fwas harvesting wheat and came upon a                                  Flarge area where the crops were pushed                                Fflat against the ground.  They swirled                                Fin a clockwise direction from the                                     Fcenter toward the the edges. This large                               Fcircle was surrounded by four                                         Fadditional circles evenly spaces around                               Fthe center circle but not touching its                                Fedges.                                                                F/$LQUINT.UFC                                                          FENG 1981 Litchfield                                                   FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Not documented                                             F                                                                      FDuring a single night, near two ancient                               Fburial mounds, in the fields north of                                 FLitchfield, two single circles                                        Fapproximately 48 feet in diameter were                                Fformed.  Although they appeared near a                                Fbusy road no one witnessed what may                                   Fhave caused them.  They are also almost                               Fdirectly under a large grid of power                                  Flines.  One of the circles is known to                                Fhave swirled in a clockwise direction.                                FOf particular interest is the fact that                               Ftwo more circles appeared in 1982 only                                Fa few yards from the original circles.                                FPeople who live in the area state that                                Fhelicopters are frequently seen in the                                Farea but this is not offered as a                                     Fconcrete explanation for the                                          Fphenomenon.                                                           F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1981 Cheesefoot Head                                              FCircle type: Triple                                                   FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis formation was found in a                                         Fdepression near Cheesefoot Head, called                               F"The Punchbowl".  The center circle was                               Fapproximately 55 feet in diameter with                                Fthe two side circles being exactly half                               Fthat diameter.  They are all swirled in                               Fa clockwise direction.  This site was                                 Fhad the honor of setting off the                                      Fintense interest in crop circle                                       Fphenomena as it was widely publicized                                 Fon TV and radio.                                                      F/$TRIPLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1982 Litchfield                                                   FCircle type: Two Single Circles                                       FCrop type: Corn                                                       F                                                                      FThese two circles were found in the                                   Fsame field where, in 1981, a crop                                     Fcircle had been found.  The larger                                    Fcircle was about 39 feet in diameter                                  Fwith the smaller being about 29 feet                                  Fin diameter.  Both circles were                                       Fswirled in a clockwise direction.                                     FIn the same field, part of what might                                 Fhave been a third circle was found.                                   FOnly about one third of the circle was                                Fvisible as it had been formed over a                                  Fhedgerow.  This location in Litchfield                                Falso contains two ancient burial                                      Fmounds.                                                               F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1982 Headbourne Worthy                                            FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Not documented                                             F                                                                      FThis location has been the site of crop                               Fcircles for years.  This circle was                                   Fapproximately 37 feet in diamter and                                  Fwas swirled in a clockwise direction.                                 FIt was noted that none of the plants in                               Fthis circle seemed damaged even though                                Fthey had been completed pressed to the                                Fground.  The stalks were not broken,                                  Fbut were bent without damage.  The                                    Fcircles in this field are usually                                     Ffound during harvest or while working                                 Fthe field.                                                            F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1983 Cheesefoot Head                                              FCircle type: Quintuplet                                               FCrop type: Not documented                                             F                                                                      FThis formation was more complex than                                  Fprevious circles found in this area.                                  FThe large center circle was 52 feet in                                Fdiameter while the four satellite                                     Fcircles were 13 feet across.  The                                     Fformation appeared about 140 feet                                     Fnortheast of where the triple circle                                  Fformation had occurred in 1981                                        F/$QUINT.UFC                                                           FENG 1984 Corhampton                                                   FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Not Documented                                             F                                                                      FThis circle was found during the                                      Fharvest in August and was approximately                               F83 feet in diameter. The crops within                                 Fthe circle had been swirled in a                                      Fclockwise direction.  It is interesting                               Fto note that not all of the grain                                     Finside the circle had been flattened.                                 FThere were a few short swathes where                                  Fthe crop seemed not to have been                                      Fcompletely affected.                                                  F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1985 Gander Down                                                  FCircle type: Quintuplet                                               FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThe individual circles in this                                        Fformation were all swirled in a                                       Fclockwise direction.  The large,                                      Fcentral circle was 52 feet in size                                    Fwhile the satellite circles were                                      Fslightly less than 10.4 feet across.                                  FAs in all cases of crop circles, the                                  Fplants had been pressed to the ground,                                Fbut were otherwise undamaged.  They                                   Fcontinued to grow and ripen, but in a                                 Fhorizontal direction.  The plants did                                 Fnot attempt to grow vertically again.                                 F/$QUINT.UFC                                                           FENG 1985 Clatford                                                     FCircle type: Quintuplet                                               FCrop type: Corn                                                       F                                                                      FThis formation was spotted from the air                               Fin August of 1985.  The circles in this                               Fformation were not measured, but the                                  Fcrop was swirled in a clockwise                                       Fdirection.                                                            F/$QUINT.UFC                                                           FENG 1986 Headbourne Worthy                                            FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Barley                                                     F                                                                      FThis single circle appeared in August                                 Fand was measured and found to be                                      Fapproximately 56 feet in diameter.                                    FAccording to the owner of the land,                                   Fcrop circles have been appearing in his                               Ffields for over 30 years.  As in most                                 Fcrop circles the grain had been packed                                Fdown against the ground without damage                                Fto the crop.  The grain continued to                                  Fgrow and ripen after the circle                                       Fappeared.  This circle was not quite a                                Fperfect circle, but was slightly                                      Felongated.                                                            F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1986 Cheesefoot Head                                              FCircle type: Ringed Circle                                            FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis formation was found in a                                         Fdepression near Cheesefoot Head, called                               F"The Puchbowl".  The central circle                                   Fmeasured just over 61 feet in diameter                                Fand was swirled in a clockwise                                        Fdirection.  It was surrounded by a band                               Fof standing grain which measured about                                F8 feet in width and a flattened ring of                               Fgrain which was about 4 feet in width                                 Fand swirled in a counterclockwise                                     Fdirection. This ring exhibited a few                                  Fsmall swathes where the grain was                                     Funaffected by whatever force caused the                               Fformation of the ring.  These areas                                   Fremained standing inside the circle.                                  F/$RINGED.UFC                                                          FENG 1986 Wantage                                                      FCircle type: Ringed Circle with a Path                                FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis formation was found near a busy                                  Fhighway and the large central circle                                  Fwas nearly 20 feet in diameter.  The                                  Fcircle was bounded by a band of                                       Fstanding grain about 7 feet wide.  This                               Fwas then surrounded by a band of                                      Fflattened grain about 3 feet in width.                                FA path about 3 feet wide extended                                     Fstraight out from the flattened ring                                  Fand tapered to a point.  The path was                                 Fabout 14 feet long.  The central circle                               Fwas swirled in a clockwise                                            Fdirection while the ring was swirled in                               Fa counterclockwise direction.                                         F/$RINGPATH.UFC                                                        FENG 1987 South Wonston                                                FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Rape                                                       F                                                                      FThis circle measured about 47 feet in                                 Fdiameter and was swirled in a clockwise                               Fdirection.  This was one of the first                                 Fcircles found in a field of rape.  This                               Finteresting thing about this circle is                                Fthe crop itself.  The stem of rape is                                 Fvery brittle and will snap easily if                                  Fbent.  However, the crop had been                                     Fforced to the ground without damage to                                Fthe stems. Some stems and leaves showed                               Fa curious serration mark which may                                    Findicated some type of mechanical                                     Fcontact with the plants.                                              F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Corhampton                                                   FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Rape                                                       F                                                                      FThis circle was similar to the one                                    Ffound in South Wonston.  Many of the                                  Fplants showed the same serration marks                                Fas seen in that case.  The rape crop                                  Fhad behaved exactly the same way and                                  Fthough it is brittle and bruises easily                               Fthe crop had been forced to the ground                                Falmost completely without damage.  The                                Fformation was found in a remote area                                  Fwhich can not be seen except by                                       Fapproaching it on foot or from the air.                               FThe circle was about 39 feet in                                       Fdiameter.                                                             F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Whiteparish                                                  FCircle type: Ringed Circle with a Path                                FCrop type: Barley                                                     F                                                                      FThe central circle in this formation                                  Fmeasured just about 50 feet in diameter                               Fwith a ring measuring about 4 feet in                                 Fwidth.  The standing grain between the                                Fcircle and the ring was about 7.5 feet                                Fin width.  A 40 foot path extended                                    Fstraight out from the ring.  The crop                                 Finside the circle was swirled in a                                    Fclockwise direction and the crop in the                               Fring was swirled counterclockwise.  In                                Fthe path, the crop was pressed outward                                Falong the direction of the path.                                      F/$RINGPATH.UFC                                                        FENG 1987 Longwood Estate                                              FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis circle was swirled in a clockwise                                Fdirection and measured about 52 feet in                               Fdiameter.  Some of the plants within                                  Fthe circle remained standing and seemed                               Ftotally unaffected by whatever force                                  Fhad formed the circle.  The circle was                                Fin a corner of the wheat field near a                                 Fhighway.                                                              F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Cheesefoot Head                                              FJuly 9                                                                FCircle type: Ringed Circle                                            FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThe center circle measured about 51                                   Ffeet in size while the ring was about                                 F3.5 feet in width.  The standing band                                 Fof wheat between the circle and the                                   Fring was about 8 feet in width.  The                                  Fcircle was swirled clockwise while the                                Fring was swirled counterclockwise.  The                               Fformation appeared in the approximate                                 Fcenter of the field.  This field has                                  Fbeen the site of many crop circles over                               Fthe years.  There are reports of lights                               Fin the sky at night and the appearance                                Fof UFOs during the daylight hours.                                    F/$RINGED.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Cheesefoot Head                                              FJuly 24                                                               FCircle type: Quintuplet                                               FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FA couple weeks after the Ringed Circle                                Fappeared in the "Punchbowl", this                                     Fquintuplet was spotted.  The center                                   Fcircle was just over 64 feet in                                       Fdiameter and was not swirled.  The crop                               Fhad been laid down in a radial pattern,                               Fspraying out from the center.  The four                               Fsatellites were not laid out facing the                               Ffour points of the compass as is usual                                Fwith this type of formation.  In                                      Faddition, the satellites were different                               Fsizes.  Two of them were 9.75 feet in                                 Fsize while the other two were about 13                                Ffeet in diameter.  The central circle                                 Fwas one of the largest seen to date and                               Fthe entire formation measured over 130                                Ffeet across.                                                          F/$QUINT.UFC                                                           FENG 1987 Westbury                                                     FAugust 4                                                              FCircle type: Unequal Double                                           FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThe smaller of the two circles was                                    Fapproximately 16 feet in diameter and                                 Fthe larger was about 24 feet in size.                                 FBoth were swirled counterclockwise.                                   FMore crop circles appeared in this                                    Ffield in later months.  It should be                                  Fnoted that this field is very near the                                FWhitehorse, an ancient ground drawing.                                F/$UDOUBLE.UFC                                                         FENG 1987 Beckhampton                                                  FCircle type: Triple                                                   FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis formation is slightly different                                  Ffrom the usual triple circle.  All                                    Fthree circles are different sizes.  The                               Flargest was the the center circle                                     Fmeasuring almost 56 feet in diameter.                                 FOne of the smaller circles measured                                   F24.5 feet and was swirled counter-                                    Fclockwise while the other was 24 feet                                 Fin diameter and swirled clockwise.  The                               Flarge, central circle was swirled                                     Fclockwise.  The full length of the                                    Fformation was over 113 feet.                                          F/$TRIPLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Upton Scudamore                                              FCircle type: Large Satellite Quintuplet                               FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThe central circle in this formation                                  Fmeasured 41 feet in diameter while the                                Ffour large satellites measured over 22                                Ffeet in diameter.  The swirl pattern in                               Fthis formation was unusual.  In the                                   Flarge, central circle, the swirl was                                  Fshaped like a large, backward letter                                  F'S'.  In three of the satellites, the                                 Fswirl was also a backward 'S', however,                               Fin the fourth satellite, the swirl was                                Fa normal 'S' shape.                                                   F/$LQUINT.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Westbury                                                     FCircle type: Single Circle                                            FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis circle measured 51 feet in                                       Fdiameter.  One of the most interesting                                Fthings about this circle was the fact                                 Fthat whatever had caused the circle had                               Fsuch an impact on the soil that,                                      Falthough it was dry, it was pulverized                                Finto a powder.                                                        F/$SINGLE.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Bratton                                                      FCircle type: Double Ringed Circle                                     FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis formation was large, measuring                                   Fover 98 feet in total diameter.  The                                  Finner circle measured 53 feet in                                      Fdiameter and was swirled clockwise. The                               Finner ring measured about 3 feet in                                   Fwidth and was swirled counterclockwise.                               FThe outer ring measured slightly more                                 Fthan 3 feet in width and was swirled                                  Fclockwise.  The swirling in this                                      Fformation was not as tight as in many                                 Fother examples of crop circle                                         Fphenomena.                                                            F/$DRING.UFC                                                           FENG 1987 Chilcomb                                                     FCircle type: Ringed Circle                                            FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThe most striking feature of this                                     Fcircle was the swirling effect - it was                               Fradial with almost no indication of a                                 Fswirl one direction or the other.                                     FThe central circle varied in diameter                                 Ffrom 62 feet to 63.2 feet.  This varia-                               Ftion is common as very few circles are                                Factually perfectly round.  The ring                                   Fvaried from a width of 3.5 feet to 4.5                                Ffeet.  The band of standing crop between                              Fthe ring and the circle also varied in                                Fwidth from about 5 feet to over 6 feet.                               FUnlike the main circle, the ring showed                               Fa counterclockwise swirl.                                             F/$RINGED.UFC                                                          FENG 1987 Bratton                                                      FCircle type: Quintuplet                                               FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThe central circle in this formation                                  Fmeasured over 49 feet in diameter.  Two                               Fof the satellites were about 21 feet in                               Fdiameter while the other two were                                     Fmeasured at nearly 23 feet.  Two of the                               Fsatellites were swirled clockwise and                                 Ftwo of them were swirled counter-                                     Fclockwise.  The central circle was                                    Fswirled counterclockwise.                                             F/$QUINT.UFC                                                           FENG 1987 Winterbourne Stoke                                           FCircle type: Complex                                                  FCrop type: Rye                                                        F                                                                      FThe largest circle in this complex was                                Fsurrounded by a ring.  The central                                    Fcircle was over 82 feet in diameter and                               Fwas swirled clockwise.  The ring was                                  Fover four feet in width and was swirled                               Fcounterclockwise.  The standing grain                                 Fbetween the ring and the circle                                       Fmeasured 7.5 feet wide.  Besides the                                  FRinged Circle, there were three Single                                FCircles.  One of these was placed far                                 Ffrom the other two and near the Ringed                                FCircle.  It might be considered a                                     Fsatellite.  It measured 19.5 feet in                                  Fdiameter and was swirled                                              F/                                                                     FENG 1990 Wiltshire                                                    FCircle type: Complex                                                  FCrop type: Wheat                                                      F                                                                      FThis chain of connected circles                                       Fmeasured 510 feet in length and                                       Fappeared in July.  It marked the first                                Ftime that rectangles were found in a                                  Fcrop circle formation.  One end of the                                Fchain was a large ringed circle.                                      FNearby were two small ringed circles.                                 FSix distinct circles were connected                                   Fwith a large central path.                                            F/                                                                     F/                                                                     