A mysterious metal obelisk found buried in the remote western US desert has inflamed the imaginations of UFO spotters, conspiracy theorists and Stanley Kubrick fans around the world.

This video grab image obtained November 24, courtesy of the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau shows a mysterious metal monolith that was discovered in Utah after public safety officers spotted the object while conducting a routine wildlife mission. Photo: VCG

The shiny, triangular pillar - which protrudes approximately 3.75 meters from the red rocks of southern Utah - was spotted on November 18 by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air. After landing their helicopter to investigate, Utah Department of Public Safety crew members found "a metal monolith installed in the ground" but "no obvious indication of who might have put the monolith there."

"It is illegal to install structures or art without authorization on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you're from," warned the agency in a tongue-in-cheek press release Monday.  News of the discovery quickly went viral online, with many noting the object's similarity with strange alien monoliths that trigger huge leaps in human progress in Kubrick's classic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Others remarked on its discovery during a turbulent year that has seen the world gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, and optimistically speculated it could have a different function entirely.

"This is the 'reset' button for 2020. Can someone please press it quickly?" joked one Instagram user.