Diamond Member SpaceMan 0 Posted April 16 Diamond Member Share Posted April 16 Earth Observatory This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Eyeing the Richat Structure This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Topics This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up More Content This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up About This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up The Richat Structure appears as a giant “bull’s eye” on a plateau in Mauritania in this mosaic, composed of images captured by the This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up (Operational Land Imager) on This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up and This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up on March 5 and March 6, 2026, respectively. NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin In a remote part of northern Mauritania on the Adrar Plateau lies a desert landscape rich in human history. This region of northwestern Africa is sprinkled with Paleolithic stone tools, Neolithic cave paintings, and the remains of This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up once used by caravans crossing the Sahara Desert. When viewed from space, the landscape appears to be shaped most prominently by natural forces. Wind sculpted the seas of colorful sand dunes and scoured plateaus capped with dark This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up , while ancient flowing water carved valleys and networks of dried river channels. But the region’s most eye-catching feature when seen from above is the Richat Structure—a large geologic formation made of concentric ridges on the eastern side of the plateau. French geographers first described the feature in the 1930s, calling it the Richat “buttonhole.” NASA astronauts Ed White and James McDivitt helped bring wider global attention to what became known as This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up after This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up it during their history-making This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . The 40-kilometer-wide (25-mile-wide) structure was initially thought to be an This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up because large meteors can produce circular features on Earth’s surface. However, This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up later This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up that it is actually a deeply eroded This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up formed by the uplift of rock above an This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up of igneous material. Over time, differing This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up among rock types in the exposed upper dome led to the development of circular ridges known as This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . The orange and gray colors reflect differences in sedimentary and igneous rock types across the structure and the surrounding landscape. NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Story by Adam Voiland. Downloads This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up March 5 and March 6, 2026 JPEG (9.03 MB) References & Resources Abdeina, E.H., et al. (2024) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Lithos, 107698. Abdeina, E.H., et al. (2021) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 14(22), 2315. The Debrief (2021, April 16) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Accessed April 8, 2026. Géoconscience, This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Accessed April 8, 2026. International Commission on Geoheritage, This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Accessed April 8, 2026. Matton, G., et al. (2005) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Geology, 33 (8), 665-668. Matton, G. & Jébrak, M. (2014) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Journal of African Earth Sciences, 97, 109-124. NASA Earth Observatory (2022, July 10) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Accessed April 8, 2026. National Archives (1965, June 4) This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up . Accessed April 8, 2026. You may also be interested in: Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet. This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up 3 min read In southeastern Libya, Jabal Arkanū’s concentric rock rings stand as relics of past geologic forces that churned beneath the desert. Article This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up 3 min read Ireland is best known for its many greens, but the striking grays of the island’s Burren region also stand out… Article This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up 3 min read Over millions of years, water has sculpted limestone in northern Vietnam into an extraordinary karst landscape full of towers, cones,… Article 1 2 3 4 Next Keep Exploring Discover More from NASA Earth Science Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Earth Observatory Image of the Day This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Explore Earth Science This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up Earth Science Data This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up 0 Quote Link to comment https://hopzone.eu/forums/topic/309223-nasa-eyeing-the-richat-structure/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.