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CROP DECODER
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What the record shows

Every chart here is counted from the 2,982 sourced formations in the database. Nothing is estimated, and the numbers update whenever the archives are re-crawled.

Formations per year

1927: 1 formations1932: 1 formations1943: 1 formations1970: 1 formations19701974: 1 formations1975: 1 formations1980: 1 formations19801984: 3 formations1985: 4 formations1986: 3 formations1987: 2 formations1988: 10 formations1989: 9 formations1990: 27 formations19901991: 24 formations1992: 22 formations1993: 27 formations1994: 59 formations1995: 60 formations1996: 117 formations1997: 119 formations1998: 135 formations1999: 183 formations2000: 213 formations20002001: 145 formations2002: 123 formations2003: 111 formations2004: 90 formations2005: 88 formations2006: 65 formations2007: 68 formations2008: 136 formations2009: 128 formations2010: 124 formations20102011: 117 formations2012: 129 formations2013: 80 formations2014: 100 formations2015: 78 formations2016: 59 formations2017: 43 formations2018: 42 formations2019: 46 formations2020: 49 formations20202021: 30 formations2022: 22 formations2023: 32 formations2024: 15 formations2025: 14 formations2026: 24 formations

Select a bar to open that season.

The season

January
7, 0%
February
2, 0%
March
9, 0%
April
68, 3%
May
263, 10%
June
663, 24%
July
1,081, 40%
August
526, 19%
September
50, 2%
October
22, 1%
November
14, 1%
December
2, 0%

Circles follow the crops: oilseed rape in April and May, then barley and wheat from June to August.

Distance to the nearest ancient site

Under 1 km
116, 13%
1 to 2 km
87, 10%
2 to 5 km
99, 11%
5 to 10 km
120, 14%
10 to 25 km
129, 15%
Over 25 km
330, 37%

For the 881 formations with an exact position, measured to the nearest of 30 major sites, including Avebury, Silbury Hill, Stonehenge, the white horses, hill forts and long barrows. Site positions are approximate centre points.

Ancient sites with the most formations within 3 km

Alton Barnes White Horse
31
East Kennett Long Barrow
24
Hackpen White Horse
24
Windmill Hill
16
Adam's Grave
15
The Sanctuary
14
Avebury Henge
13
Silbury Hill
12
Cherhill White Horse
11
Stonehenge
11
Barbury Castle
10
West Kennet Long Barrow
10
Wayland's Smithy
10
Cley Hill
9
Uffington White Horse
7

Fields that keep getting circles

By country

England
2,257, 76%
Netherlands
106, 4%
Germany
98, 3%
Italy
83, 3%
France
43, 1%
USA
42, 1%
Czech Republic
41, 1%
Canada
34, 1%
Brazil
24, 1%
Poland
22, 1%
Switzerland
21, 1%
Russia
18, 1%
Belgium
17, 1%
Denmark
9, 0%
Norway
9, 0%

English counties

Wiltshire
1,194
Hampshire
297
West Sussex
86
East Sussex
86
Oxfordshire
82
Sussex
58
Somerset
50
Yorkshire
40
Kent
37
Dorset
34
Essex
31
Warwickshire
22
Leicestershire
21
Cambridgeshire
21
Hertfordshire
21

Crops

Wheat
1,182, 66%
Barley
285, 16%
Oilseed Rape
161, 9%
Maize
53, 3%
Grass
51, 3%
Rye
13, 1%
Oats
13, 1%
Snow
9, 1%
Ice
7, 0%
Linseed
5, 0%
Sand
5, 0%
Rice
5, 0%
Sunflower
2, 0%
Soy
1, 0%

The summer solstice

208 formations are dated 18 to 24 June, the week of the summer solstice. Look for patterns across them.

Most-credited photographers

Lucy Pringle
2,455
Stuart Dike
1,207
Stonehenge Dronescapes Photography
1,102
Nick Bull
787
Bertold Zugelder
597
The Hampshire Flyer
590
Michael Murray
546
Steve Alexander
538
Olivier Morel
448
Patrice Marty
406
John Montgomery
381
Tommy Borms
375
Clare Kingston
362
www.maya48.etsy.com
362
cropcirclecenter.com
327

Credits as the archives give them. See sources and credits.