#richat structure

Richat Structure, Mauritania (Google Maps)

too few are talking about this

"What on Earth is that? The Richat Structure in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania is easily visible from space because it is nearly 50 kilometers across. Once thought to be an impact crater, the Richat Structure's flat middle and lack of shock-altered rock indicates otherwise. The possibility that the Richat Structure was formed by a volcanic eruption also seemed improbable because of the lack of a dome of igneous or volcanic rock. Rather, the layered sedimentary rock of the Richat structure was thought by many to have been caused by uplifted rock sculpted by erosion."

NASA ID: STS058-088-017

I’ll start— my favorite conspiracy theory is that the Richat Structure is actually the remains of Atlantis!

Sandra Slead

Earth from Space: Eye of the Sahara (natural colour) by European Space Agency Via Flickr: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures a spectacular geological wonder in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania: the Richat Structure. This giant feature looks out from a sea of golden sand in the Adrar Region of northern Mauritania. Once thought to be the site of a meteor impact, the Richat Structure is now believed to have been caused by a process of uplift of a large dome of molten rock that, once at the surface, was shaped by wind, sand and water erosion. Geologists agree that the structure is at least 100 million years old. The layered formation consists of a series of concentric rings and resembles a bull’s eye from space, so is also known as the eye of the Sahara or the eye of Africa. The Richat Structure, 50 km in diameter, is easier to observe from space than from the ground, and has been a familiar landmark for astronauts since the earliest manned missions. This is part of a comparison, were we can see two views captured in September 2025: this image is in natural colour, while this image is a false-colour combination which highlights specific features. This remarkable formation exposes layers of sedimentary rock in different places, depending on the rates of erosion on the varying rock types. This can be better appreciated in the false-colour image. The more erosion-resistant quartzite sandstones appear in shades of red and pink and form the outer rings and high ridges internally, with valleys of less-resistant rock between them visible as darker areas. The central rings of the eye are about 80 m tall, with rocks older than those forming the outer rings. In the natural colour image, the dark area surrounding the eye is part of the Adrar plateau of sedimentary rock standing some 200 m above the surrounding desert sands, which in turn are part of the Erg Ouarane, an immense sand expanse stretching hundreds of kilometres to Mali. Sand is also clearly visible encroaching into the structure’s southern side. Here, individual trees and bushes can be spotted as tiny dots, which are visible in purple in the false-colour image, following a dry riverbed structure. Credits: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2025), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO