From: kontos@clipper.ingr.com (Thorne Kontos)
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic
Subject: Crop Circles (a different twist)
Keywords: Foolhardy experimenters take note...
Date: 21 Aug 92 19:07:43 GMT
Organization: Intergraph Advanced Processor Division - Palo Alto, CA


     We at the M&K research division have pondered the creation of
crop circles since someone here still thinks these things are made
by aliens of higher intelligence. (Like an alien race capable of
intergalactic travel has nothing better to do with its time than
turn a few circles in the middle of a wheat field.) 
     As a humorous entry into the field of crop circle research,
we offered the Do-It-Yourself-Crop-Circle kit(tm). This post was 
intended to be humorous, and we thank the sceptics who replied in
kind.
     However, we are considering the extremely remote possibility
that crop circles could be caused by a natural phenomenon, and based
on the frequency at which crop circles appear, the following gives the
details on a new experiment to prove our theory. The most obvious
choice of natural phenomenon is of course lightning. Recent Nasa
experiments have shown it is possible to draw lightning from the
sky during a rainstorm. This was accomplished using small rockets
that had wires attached to them to provide a quick path to earth
ground. (I saw this on PBS, so it is verifiable.) This experiment
is the high technology version of Benjamin Franklin's famous kite-and-
key-in-a-rainstorm experiment.
     Our proposal is to repeat Nasa's experiment in the middle of a
wheatfield during a rainstorm. The crops should be thoroughly soaked,
with groundwater in between the rows. Since I doubt this has been tried,
I figure someone with a slightly larger research budget than ours
could carry this out in their spare time. Our research does show that 
when lightning strikes water, it does tend to distribute itself in a
circular pattern (Based solely on where the dead fish pop up; someone
may want to show this is true, although I don't think the water is the 
place to do this test.) It is our belief, that in the brief time it
takes (current flow in the majority of high-current strokes works like
this...current rises to its maximum in 1.5 to 10us, decreases to half value
in 20 to 50us, and then falls to zero within 100 to 200us.) for a lightning
strike; is if crop circles are a natural phenomenon, when lightning strikes
the wet ground, it seeks the shortest path to ground, but the water tends to 
dissipate the energy in a relatively circular pattern, and the force of the
bolt knocks the crops down. It would be interesting to see if those crop
circles that had appendages followed shallow depressions in the ground where
water could collect...the same goes for pure circles, are they in shallow
depressions where water could pool? 
     Consider the water to be acting as a dielectric, if in a shallow
circular pool, the water would act like a capacitor undergoing dielectric
breakdown. The lightning would escape at the edges of the pool in an attempt
to get to ground. This same dielectric breakdown has been observed in
capacitors with the voltage flowing around the edges of the capacitor.
     We at M&K are seriously considering this test as we feel it does have
some valid points. We need skeptical input, and anyone familiar with the
dielectric properties of water and earth at high voltages/currents should
also help us by providing data as to how water reacts when subjected to
lightning. Other materials that act as insulators/conductors at low 
voltage/current combinations, react as very good conductors at high 
voltages/currents. So help us in our quest to prove that crop circles could
be a natural phenomenon. And believe us when we say, we are as skeptical as
you. 
     
                                             Thanks for your time,
                                             T.K. Kontos
                                             (the K in M&K 8^))