Within Duhamel Marks
Was it a tyre trick or something heavier?
The most difficult question is whether the rings were made by a clever mechanical hoax, a heavy object, or something still unidentified.
On this page
- Why a rolling wheel seemed plausible
- The problem of missing approach tracks
- What the weight estimates really mean
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
The central debate over the Duhamel landing marks is not whether the rings existed, but how they were made. Investigators who examined the site in August 1967 came away with an awkward conclusion: the marks looked remarkably like the work of a heavy rubber tyre, yet the surrounding evidence did not fit a normal vehicle or farm-machine explanation. More than half a century later, the strongest sceptical interpretation remains some form of tyre-made hoax or mechanical trace, while supporters of the mystery argue that the lack of approach tracks and the estimated weight involved point to something more unusual. The case remains unresolved largely because neither side explains every observed detail. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Was it a tyre trick or something heavier?
The Defence Research Establishment Suffield (DRES) inspection is important because the investigator did not begin from a UFO assumption. His observations focused on physical mechanisms.
The rings were narrow bands of flattened vegetation rather than burned circles or excavated depressions. Grass and cow dung appeared compressed. Investigators also reported repeated tread-like impressions along the rings. These details immediately suggested a rolling rubber wheel rather than a hovering craft, jet exhaust or blast effect. The official inspection noted that the marks resembled those produced by a heavily loaded tyre moving in a tight circle. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Yet the same report stopped short of accepting a straightforward tyre explanation. The investigator explicitly stated that a deliberate hoax was possible, but also recognised that important features of the site were difficult to reconcile with an ordinary vehicle. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Why a rolling wheel seemed plausible
The tyre hypothesis has several strengths.
First, the rings themselves were ring-shaped pressure marks rather than excavations. A heavy wheel rolling repeatedly around a circular path could plausibly flatten grass in exactly this way. The reported tread-like pattern is also easier to explain through a tyre than through a smooth landing pad or unknown machinery. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Second, the marks lacked many features commonly associated with alleged landing sites. Investigators found no scorching, no heat damage, no displaced soil, no evidence of exhaust blast and no unusual disturbance outside the rings. Those absences weaken ideas involving powerful engines or intense energy sources. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Third, a hoax would not have required sophisticated technology. A determined person with access to suitable equipment could theoretically create circular tracks in a pasture. This possibility was recognised by the investigator himself, who regarded a deliberate fabrication as conceivable. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
For sceptics, these points make a mechanical origin the most conservative explanation. The physical traces looked mechanical, and mechanical explanations generally require fewer assumptions than unidentified craft.
The problem of missing approach tracks
The tyre explanation becomes much weaker when the wider scene is examined.
A wheel does not simply appear in the middle of a pasture. If a tractor, trailer, specialised rig or other machine created the circles, investigators expected to find evidence showing how it entered and left the area. Instead, the inspection reported no corresponding tracks connecting the circles to roads, gates or one another. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
This issue mattered because the pasture had recently experienced rain. Soft ground generally preserves wheel impressions well. If a heavy machine had been used, many observers expected approach and departure traces to be easier to find than the circles themselves. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Supporters of the hoax theory have suggested several possibilities:
- Later trampling may have obscured evidence.
- Investigators arrived days after the marks were first noticed.
- Livestock movement could have altered parts of the site.
- The creator might have used existing hard ground or routes that left minimal impressions.
All are possible. However, none fully explains why distinct circular pressure marks survived while the supposedly associated access tracks disappeared entirely. This mismatch remains one of the strongest objections to a simple tyre-hoax scenario. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
What the weight estimates really mean
One of the most misunderstood aspects of the Duhamel case is the frequently repeated claim that the marks implied an object weighing well over one hundred tons.
The DRES investigator attempted to estimate the load required to create pressure effects similar to those seen in the pasture. Later retellings often transformed these calculations into claims that a massive aircraft or spacecraft had definitely landed there. That goes further than the evidence supports. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Weight estimates in cases like this depend on assumptions about:
- Soil moisture.
- Grass condition.
- Contact area.
- Duration of loading.
- Whether the load was static or moving.
- The exact dimensions of the pressure marks.
Small changes in those assumptions can produce very different figures. A calculation showing that substantial weight may have been involved is not the same as proof that an object of that weight actually landed. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Even so, the estimates created a problem for simple hoax explanations. If the impressions genuinely required very high loading, then a prankster would have needed access to unusually heavy equipment. That does not make a hoax impossible, but it raises the logistical difficulty.
The weight argument therefore cuts both ways. Believers often cite it as evidence for an extraordinary object, while sceptics note that the estimate rests on uncertain assumptions. The more cautious conclusion is that the marks appeared consistent with significant pressure, but the exact weight involved cannot be established with confidence from the surviving record. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Why the debate remains unresolved
The Duhamel marks occupy an unusual middle ground in Alberta’s UFO history.
If the circles had shown obvious signs of machinery entering and leaving the field, the case would likely have faded into the category of probable hoaxes. If the rings had lacked tyre-like characteristics altogether, the landing hypothesis would appear stronger. Instead, the evidence points in both directions at once. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
The physical traces resembled the action of a heavy wheel. The absence of clear approach tracks argues against an ordinary vehicle. The estimated loading suggests something substantial may have produced the marks, but the calculations are too uncertain to identify what that was. Public access to the site before detailed examination further complicated later reconstruction of events. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
For that reason, the most defensible assessment today is neither “proven hoax” nor “proven landing”. The tyre explanation remains the leading conventional interpretation because it matches the appearance of the rings themselves. However, the missing approach tracks and unresolved questions about the required loading prevent it from fully accounting for all the reported observations. That tension is precisely why the Duhamel marks continue to be discussed as one of Alberta’s most intriguing unresolved physical-trace cases. [The Experiencer Support Association]experiencersupport.orgThe Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at…August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Was it a tyre trick or something heavier?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Examines physical trace cases and evidence-based approaches similar to the Duhamel landing-mark debate.
UFOs
Focuses on documented investigations and official reports, matching the article's emphasis on physical evidence.
The Demon-Haunted World
Directly addresses how to evaluate extraordinary claims, hoaxes, and ambiguous physical evidence.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Discusses investigative methods and case evaluation relevant to disputed landing-trace incidents.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: experiencersupport.org
Link: https://www.experiencersupport.org/declassified/onsite-inspection-of-ufo-landing-marks-at-duhamel-camrose-county-in-albertaSource snippet
The Experiencer Support Association🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Onsite Inspection of UFO Landing Marks at...August 11, 1967 — START TRANSCRIPT: UFO REPORT CAM...
Published: August 11, 1967
Additional References
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ufoupdates/posts/10152345096356790/Source snippet
UFO UpDates49/67 ONSITE INSPECTION OF REPUTED UFO LANDING MARKS AT DUHAMEL, ALBERTA... UFO INTELLIGENCE “HOAX” ENCOUNTERS FOR EXPERIENCE...
-
Source: parkscanadahistory.com
Link: https://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/o-x-287.pdfSource snippet
measurement and description of fuels and fire behaviorThis report provides detailed instructions for documenting fuel and fire behavior c...
-
Source: medicinehat.ca
Link: https://www.medicinehat.ca/media/k3jdllmm/se-ab-aerospace-and-defence-map_web_2025.pdfSource snippet
southeast albertaCFB SUFFIELD/DRDC-SRC. • Expertise in military engineering, autonomous intelligent systems, and defence against chemical...
-
Source: publications.gc.ca
Link: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2023/rddc-drdc/DR52-3-3-1971-eng.pdfSource snippet
suffield technical paperThe work described in this paper was part of a programme carried out at D.R.E.S., RALSTON. ALBERTA, CANADA, toge...
-
Source: researchgate.net
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235622350_Analysis_of_the_aerial_and_landing_phases_of_the_grand_jeteSource snippet
oments of forces and moment powers during the landing from the ballet jump...
-
Source: academia.edu
Link: https://www.academia.edu/36928863/Twin_Peaks_Medicine_Wheel_EcOp_51_on_Canadian_Forces_Base_SuffieldSource snippet
· A total of 14 medicine wheel sites were assessed, confirming 6 as...
-
Source: canada.ca
Title: defence research through the decades
Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/campaigns/defence-research-through-the-decades.htmlSource snippet
1 Dec 2023 — Alberta Experimental Station Suffield opened in Suffield, Alberta in 1941. for research in radar and defence communications...
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/albertastorm/posts/1005516020961037/Source snippet
d be produced by a deliberate hoax, but...Read more...
-
Source: youtube.com
Title: Alberta in top three provinces likely to see UFO
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UkO51iJ7cwSource snippet
Duhamel UFO Alberta 1967 Canada's First Reported Crop Circles - Duhamel, Alberta 1967 Strange North...
-
Source: youtube.com
Title: Falcon Lake Incident: The Most Credible UFO Case in History
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e6dKxkqbn8Source snippet
Alberta in top three provinces likely to see UFO...
Topic Tree