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George
Bishop, of the Centre for Crop Circle Studies, expounds on the phenomenon.
According
to Dr Colin Andrews, who has studied crop circles for 17 years,
about 20% are caused by eddies in the earth's magnetic field - the
rest are man-made. He thinks a mysterious shift in the electromagnetic
field creates a current that flattens the crops in its path.
Is it plausible?
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"Yes
- it's a nice rounded theory," says Mr Bishop. Like Dr Andrews,
he says all but the simplest circles are hoaxes.
The
theory could explain why in some circles, microphones and recording
equipment hit interference, he says. Some years ago, a BBC crew
had difficulty recording in a circle.
"If
the circles are formed by electromagnetic eddies, there may be a
residual charge of energy," Mr Bishop says.
But
he does not think the new theory is the final word: "It doesn't
explain why often the nodes of the plants have swollen up to 200
times the original size."
He
thinks the currents may work in tandem with other environmental
factors, possibly conducted via water in the air, such as mist,
or in underground water tables.
Are
they only in the UK?
No,
the circles crop up around the world - in grass as well as grain
fields.
Why
so many in Wiltshire, south England?
As
an area steeped in the mysteries of the ancients, this is where
the hoaxers are most active, and where the majority of enthusiasts
go circle spotting.
Many
more circles around the country and abroad go unseen and unreported,
Mr Bishop says.
"Ninety
percent - and in some years, 98% - of the circles in the UK appear
along the aquifer line (a layer of rock able to hold water), which
runs from Dorset to Norfolk."
When
do the circles date from?
One
of the earliest reports was in Lyon in 815AD, and a late 16th Century
woodcut depicts the devil mowing a field into patterns.
Wiltshire's
ancient stone circles - which include Stonehenge and Avebury - could
have been built on the sites of early crop circles, Mr Bishop says.
What
of the other theories - aliens, for example?
Aliens
are a modern-day obsession, so not surprisingly the circles have
been attributed to little green men - either as messages, or the
imprint of UFOs landing in the fields.
"People
relate crop circles to what is going on around them, what concerns
them," Mr Bishop says.
"People
used to think it was witches and fairies; then it was aliens. Today,
people think it might be electromagnetic pollution, caused by the
proliferation of radio masts and mobile phones."
And
ancient ley lines?
"It
may well be that the earth does have these energy lines, and it
may well create some sort of current when these lines intersect
with the magnetic fields."
What
about freak weather patterns?
Mini-tornadoes
are unlikely to create such intricate and symmetrical patterns,
Mr Bishop says: "We know whirlwinds aren't static - they travel
around."
But
this you can guarantee - the circles will crop up again each summer.
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