Richat Structure
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The Richat Structure, a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauritania near Ouadane, has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms a conspicuous bull's-eye in the otherwise rather featureless expanse of the desert. Described by some as looking like an outsized ammonite in the desert, the structure, which has a diameter of almost 50 kilometres (30 miles), has become a landmark for space shuttle crews. Initially interpreted as a meteorite impact structure because of its high degree of circularity, it is now thought to be a symmetrical uplift (circular anticline or dome) that has been laid bare by erosion. Paleozoic quartzites form the resistant beds outlining the structure. However, a line drawn 208° S-SW between the Temimichat impact crater and the Tenoumer impact crater, themselves separated by 166 kilometers, intersects the center of the Richat structure, 390 km away.[1]
Original entry was from the NASA Earth Observatory; [1]
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
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Please expand this article using the suggested source(s) below. More information might be found in a section of the talk page. |
- Guillaume Matton, Michel Jébrak and James K.W. Lee (August 2005). "Resolving the Richat enigma: Doming and hydrothermal karstification above an alkaline complex". Geology 33 (8): 665–668. doi:.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richat Structure |
- NASA Earth Observatory page
- Astronomy Picture of the Day
- Google Sightseeing
- View satellite image in Google Maps
- Line of Muritanian desert craters
Coordinates: 21°7′29.67″N 11°24′12.96″W / 21.1249083°N 11.4036°W
