Explosion Destroys Georgia Monument Dubbed 'America's Stonehenge,' Probe Underway - GBI

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Law enforcement authorities are probing an explosion that destroyed the Georgia Guidestones monument, sometimes called the "American Stonehenge" due to its megalithic construction, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a statement.

"The GBI and Elbert County Sheriff’s Office are investigating an explosion that destroyed the Georgia Guidestones near Elberton, GA. The preliminary information indicates that unknown individuals detonated an explosive device at around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6th," GBI said.

The explosion destroyed a large portion of the structure, GBI said. Investigators urge anyone with information to contact law enforcement, GBI also said.

The remainder of the monument was demolished by crews with heavy equipment later on Wednesday, according to videos of the demolition circulated on social media.

The 19-foot high set of granite standing stones, erected in 1980 by an anonymous group, acted as a sundial and astronomical calendar. The stones also contained messages in eight languages conveying a set of ten principles, including to keep humankind’s population under 500 million people, to guide reproduction for improved fitness and diversity, and to unite the world under a new language.

An explanatory tablet included in the monument instructed readers to "let these be guidestones to an age of reason."

The monument has been the center of several conspiracy theories, including that the anonymous commissioners of the project were connected to the so-called "New World Order," white supremacist or Satanic organizations.