This process brings to mind electrocution, as the plants in the crop are being "shocked" and are formed into circular patterns. Colin Andrews debates these plasma vortices and whirlwinds, as they would not be able to form the more complex patterns. He cites a Dr. Terence Meaden, who has enough evidence to give credit to these whirlwinds for creating the plain, unadorned crop circles (Andrews 71).
Magnetism has been measured in certain crop circles in Southern England, and in those particular fields, there has been an increase in the Earth's magnetic field of about 120% (Hussey). This finding also showed that the magnetism lasted for a few days; it was not a momentary event. Also, in research that Colin Andrews conducted, the magnetism actually represented the crop circle design (66). Plants inside the crop circles seem to grow at an increased rate, so magnetism that is sped up to a high rate of rotational acceleration may be the cause. The magnetism theory might be flawed, as the Earth's atmosphere and climate changes, not to mention land cultivation, could result in elevated magnetism.
Microwave radiation was thought to cause the swelling of the nodes in the plants and other vegetation in the crop circles (Dudley). Nodes are the point on a stem where a leaf is attached. Microwaves are "high-frequency electromagnetic waves, one millimeter to one meter in wavelength" (Andrews 68). A problem with this theory is that there is not enough microwave radiation in nature to cause the plants to collapse. If there were enough microwave radiation naturally occurring, it would pose a serious health risk to everyone. Related to microwaves is another interesting discovery. Marshall Dudley, a scientist from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, went to England and took soil samples from a particular crop circle. He discovered that there were thirteen short-lived radionuclides in the soil sample. Radionuclides are a radioactive nuclide, which is a particular species of atom (Dudley).
