Crop circles are very interesting if one does a significant amount of real research. I did not expect that at all. For the most part, crop circles are still a mystery.
Based on books and articles I've read, there are supposedly two different classes of crop circles:
- crop circles that are hoaxes (made by what are known as Circle Fakers -- people who create the circles with boards and rope)
- and crop circles that are genuine (made by what are known as Circle Makers -- don't know who or what they are)
There are many differences between those two kinds of crop circles, but the most obvious difference is quality and mathematical precision.
The faked circles are much less precise and the stalks are usually snapped at the bottom. They can take hours to produce.
Genuine crop circles are perfect, laser sharp. Edges of patterns often cut down to only one stalk, which clearly couldn't be done with boards and rope. Analyses of the circles indicate a presence of intense heat and radiation.
Other evidence suggests that genuine crop circles are created in seconds, not hours. I remember reading about one documented case at Stone Henge where a group of tourists were visiting. They had seen the whole area, and looking back another minute, a whole friggin' crop circle had materialized right before them. Let me see if I can find it. Yeah, here it is:
Bam!
Also, some crop circles are created in areas where the stalks are so thick and sturdy that it would be nearly impossible to trample with boards.
The vast majority of crop circles are genuine -- there are so many of them. I've read that more than half of all crop circles in the world are found in Great Britain.
Crop circles are in no way satisfactorily explained. Which is unsettling considering the magnitude of the phenomenon.