Research Project
An Invitation for Independent Scientific Investigation
Copyright 2026, all rights reserved,
Cryptic Formations.
Cryptic Formations documents unusual recurring visual structures observed and photographed within the red-rock geological formations of Sedona, Arizona. Many of the formations examined occur within sedimentary rocks whose host sediments were deposited approximately 280 million years ago during the Permian Period.
The book raises a fundamental question: Are these recognizable structures entirely the result of natural geology combined with human pattern recognition, or do they contain measurable and recurring organization that warrants further scientific investigation?
The purpose of the Cryptic Formations Research Project is not to establish a predetermined explanation. It is to encourage independent researchers to examine the observations using reproducible scientific methods.
The Research Question
The principal research question is: Do the reported formation images contain measurable, repeatable, and statistically unusual visual or physical organization beyond that expected from geological processes, random pattern formation, photographic variables, and human perception?
Before considering broader explanations for the phenomenon, the first objective should be to establish whether a statistically significant and independently reproducible phenomenon exists.
The Initial Research
The investigation documented in Cryptic Formations includes field photography, digital image examination, geological context, comparative imagery, visual analysis, and observations collected over an extended period.
Three formations—identified in the book as Nefertiti, Blessing, and Temple—provide particularly useful starting points for independent investigation because they contain multiple apparent structures and spatial relationships that can be examined using modern analytical techniques.
Proposed Scientific Investigation
Independent researchers could evaluate selected formations through:
High-resolution calibrated photography and repeat photography
LiDAR, photogrammetry, and three-dimensional surface mapping
Geological, mineralogical, and structural analysis
Computer-vision and artificial-intelligence image analysis
Quantitative analysis of shapes, geometry, and spatial relationships
Comparison with randomly selected geological control formations
Blinded human-perception and pareidolia studies
Statistical testing of recurring visual structures
Independent replication by researchers unfamiliar with the author’s interpretations
Original photographs should be compared with processed versions so the effects of contrast, color adjustment, magnification, mirroring, and other image-processing methods can be independently measured.
Possible Outcomes
There are several scientifically useful outcomes.
The formations may prove to be remarkable examples of natural geology interacting with human visual perception.
They may reveal previously underappreciated mechanisms through which complex recognizable patterns develop in geological materials.
Alternatively, controlled investigation may identify recurring organization that cannot be adequately characterized by the initial geological and perceptual explanations and therefore warrants additional research.
Each outcome would contribute useful information.
Why Study It?
The project intersects several established fields, including geology, geomorphology, geophysics, mineralogy, computer vision, artificial intelligence, mathematics, fractal geometry, cognitive science, information theory, archaeology, and astrobiology/SETI.
At its broadest level, the investigation also raises a question related to the Fermi Paradox:
If evidence of intelligence or organized information were required to survive for millions—or hundreds of millions—of years, what physical forms could that evidence take, and would we recognize it if we encountered it?
The Book
Cryptic Formations by Lance Kaufman documents the formation images, their locations and characteristics, the methods used to examine them, and a series of hypotheses proposed to stimulate further investigation.
The hypotheses presented in the book are not offered as established scientific conclusions. They are proposed as possible explanations and questions that can be examined, challenged, modified, or rejected through independent research.
Invitation for Further Research
Universities, government agencies, research laboratories, scientific organizations, faculty members, graduate researchers, and qualified independent investigators are invited to participate.
The objective is straightforward: Independently examine the evidence. Test the observations. Attempt to reproduce the results. Determine what the formations can—and cannot—demonstrate.
Research does not need to support the Cryptic Formations Hypothesis to be valuable. Results that demonstrate conventional geological or perceptual explanations would be as important to the investigation as results identifying unexplained characteristics.
Photographs, formation information, supporting materials, and complimentary research copies of Cryptic Formations may be made available to qualified researchers.
Research inquiries please respond below or call 844-372-2825.