In the western part of the Sahara Desert - the one that belongs to Mauritania - slightly east of the village of Ouadan there is one of the most amazing and mysterious places on the planet, known as the “Richat structure” or “eye of the Earth”. Mysterious circles, drawn by an unknown force among the monotonous desert landscape, attract an inexhaustible stream of inquisitive travelers.
The age of the geological formation is more than respectable: researchers of the unique object claim that the oldest ring from a series of circles of the Guell-Er-Richat structure is not “younger” than 600,000,000 years. And the size of the “eye” is substantial: the diameter of its outer contour is about 50 km. It is clear that with such an impressive scale, the contours of the rings can only be detected at a significant height from the object.
That is why the unique structure was discovered only with the advent of the space age in 1965. Since then, the eye of the planet has served as a clear guide to astronauts in orbit, and scientists have been puzzling over the nature of this marvelous formation day and night.
Versions.
Version one - the place where the meteorite fell. I did not find confirmation, since there is no depression on the surface of the earth in the center of the structure, as in other places where cosmic bodies fall. And there are no traces of impact on the rocks.
Version two - the mouth of an extinct volcano. The Richat structure is made up of dolomite sedimentary rocks, and the complete absence of volcanic rocks and a volcanic dome nullified this assumption.
What is the Richat structure? Version three is fantastic. “This is the landing site of aliens,” some say. “Atlantis was here,” others say. But no one can prove either the first or the second.
Version four is the result of erosion. According to scientists, the platform in this place rose and fell, constantly weathering, which led to such a layered formation. To date, this version is the most plausible.
Thanks to images taken from space, there has been a significant breakthrough in geological research. In a relatively short period of time, scientists have been able to identify many places of interest to researchers from various fields. Among all these discoveries, numerous geological formations in the form of rings are of considerable interest, differing not only in size, varying from several hundred meters to 3 thousand kilometers and in age, sometimes reaching the Archean era, estimated in billions of years, but also in their genesis, which put before researchers have discussed a number of controversial issues.
One of these mysteries for scientists was the amazing Moorish soil formation, clearly visible from space. Because of its large size and clear outlines, which give it the vast and lifeless landscapes of the Saharan desert, it has been serving as a kind of beacon for people navigating the endless ocean of space for half a century.
Cosmonaut Valentin Lebedev, examining this geological object, amazing in its almost round shape and unusual structure, from the window of the Salyut-7 station in October 1982, associated it with a children's pyramid assembled from rings of various colors. You can verify the accuracy of this comparison by looking at the picture below.
True, this miracle of nature is in fact not a children's toy at all. The diameter of its outer ring is fifty kilometers, and upon closer examination it does not at all resemble a pyramid. Being directly at this place and contemplating the rocky desert with a series of different lowlands and hills, you can’t even say that it can look so impressive from space.
Apparently, this circumstance was previously the main factor for researchers that prevented them from focusing their attention on this point of our planet that, as it turned out, was so interesting for its mystery. But, as they say, “everything has its time.” Humanity's exploration of outer space has undoubtedly benefited the knowledge of our home - the Earth.
After all, just think, during his existence, man, due to his curiosity, was able to explore almost every corner of our native planet. He discovered many previously unknown islands, conquered the inaccessible peaks of the highest mountains, found a way to conduct research in the ocean depths, and overcame the cold of the earth's poles. It seemed that people had explored everything and there was nothing on Earth that was unknown to humanity. But this, as time shows, was just a short flight of stairs leading to the heights of knowledge.
A photograph of the Moorish “pyramid” taken from space half a century ago seriously puzzled scientists. Even after conducting a series of studies, to this day they have not been able to come to a consensus about the reason for the emergence of this geological formation. It, based on the conclusions of the researchers, has a rather unusual structure, which at first glance resembles the site of mining operations that were once carried out here, or a huge crater formed after the fall of a meteorite, and possibly the consequences of an ancient volcanic eruption. According to the conclusions of experts, the age of this geological formation, which received the names “eye of the desert” and “navel of the earth” thanks to the media, is 500-600 million years, that is, theoretically reaches the Proterozoic period.
As you know, at the end of this period there was a global change in the climate of our planet. This coincidence naturally became a significant factor that prompted researchers to put forward the version that the ring-shaped structure of Richat was formed as a result of the fall of a huge meteorite.
However, the attempt of geologists to collect evidence for this hypothesis in subsequent studies was unsuccessful. They were never able to find traces indicating the impact itself and its consequences. In the center of this formation there was also no depression corresponding to the force of the impact, similar to depressions at the sites of the fall of cosmic bodies. In addition, they were unable to explain the presence of not one, but several rings, ideally nested within each other. In order for such a formation to occur, several meteorites had to fall into this place with perfect accuracy, which, of course, is unlikely.
Of all the put forward versions, the most plausible is the volcanic version of the structural formation of Richat.
Scientists, analyzing photographs of this geological artifact with seemingly similar objects on Mars, Mercury and the Moon, have put forward a seemingly irrefutable version of its volcanic origin. They even managed to explain the new type of volcanic formations they discovered thanks to these photographs, called “Ring Structures.” This topic first appeared as a special section in the 1985 textbook “General Geotectonics,” written by A. E. Mikhailov and V. E. Khain.
According to this version, the origin of the Moorish ring structures is explained by centuries-old erosion of the volcano, under the influence of which the current geological artifact was formed.
But subsequent studies forced many scientists to reconsider the evidence of this hypothesis. According to the conclusion of many experts in the field of geology, the Richat structure cannot be the result of a volcanic eruption, because its formation is dominated by sedimentary dolomite rocks and there are absolutely no volcanics, characterized by microscopic sizes of mineral crystals, and effusives. In addition, in its central part, geologists were unable to detect any signs of a volcanic dome.
By the way, why the eye? Yes, because from a certain distance the complex of giant rings amazingly accurately recreates the shape of the pupil of the human eye, framed by the contours of the eyelids. The initial hypothesis was that the planet's waking eye was nothing more than a crater formed as a result of the fall of a giant meteorite. This version still defends its right to exist among the possible reasons for the appearance of the oldest geological structure.
But the explanations of the supporters of the “crater” theory regarding the flat shape of the bottom of the ring formation do not sound very convincing, to put it mildly. The Richat formation cannot boast of a characteristic depression or traces of impact.
The essence of another version is that the appearance of a geological artifact is the result of a long-standing volcanic eruption. Upon closer examination, this hypothesis does not stand up to criticism: the product of the eruption should have left a dome-shaped imprint of volcanic rocks in memory of itself, but, alas, this is not the case. It’s a pity: the almost perfectly round shape of the mysterious rings would harmoniously fit into the hypothesis of an extinct volcano. In attempts to explain the reason for the appearance of mystical circles, completely fantastic versions were put forward, including the landing of aliens - it is clear that such ideas were shattered to pieces by elementary common sense.
Supporters of the supernatural, who tried to explain the presence of circles by the presence of otherworldly forces, also faced a fiasco: there are no traces of any anomalies in the area of the structure - shepherds have long lived in the mysterious territory and camels graze peacefully, without showing the slightest signs of concern.
The most plausible and tenacious hypothesis was that the eye of the planet was formed as a result of natural geological processes. First, the earth's crust rose, and then wind and water flows came into play - it was centuries-old erosion that led to the appearance of an all-seeing eye on the face of the planet. But even this theory does not provide a comprehensive explanation of Richat’s strict geometry, so the question of where the regular circles in the middle of the desert came from still remains open. This means that the great discovery of the true origin of the rings of Guell Er Richat awaits us ahead.
"Eye of the Sahara" from space.
Today we will visit another amazing place on our planet. The geological formation on the territory of Mauritania, which is located in Africa, still remains one of the greatest mysteries of our time. “Eye of the Sahara”, or in other words, the Richat structure is a perfectly round shape, a flat bottom surface and impressive dimensions (50 km in diameter)…
Before the start of the Space Age, the Richat Structure was unknown, because it was the astronauts who first discovered this huge eye that was looking right at them.
The Eye of the Sahara is an ancient geological artifact that lies in the middle of the Maur Adrar Desert in the southwestern Sahara. At first, astronauts used this place as a landmark, and extreme sports enthusiasts in off-road vehicles held their competitions here. Scientists are still arguing about the origin of the Richat structure.
The hotel is located in the center of Richat. The hotel is not luxurious, but the conditions for tourists are quite good. Many travel agencies offer safaris in this area.
Initially, the version was put forward that the Richat structure was the crater of a giant meteorite. However, if a meteorite actually fell in this place, then the crater floor could not have had a flat structure, so the best explanation today is that there was erosion of the volcano's dome, which, over time, expanded its rocks, creating today's form.
This photo of the Richat structure was taken from a satellite using the ASTER 7 radiometer, the unusual colors arise as a result of thermal emission. Whatever it is, the spectacle is amazing and attracts the attention of artists, environmentalists and natural scientists. This is a sign that our planet never ceases to surprise and shock us.
The news was posted by: Igor Selivanov
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The largest desert in the world, the Sahara, has always captivated the human imagination. Occupying 30% of the African continent, the Sahara is fraught with many mysteries. One of them is the famous Eye of the Sahara Desert (Eye of the Sahara ) , located not far from the Mauritanian town of Ouadan.
This fantastic formation has a second name - the Richat ring structure. The eye represents geological formations of different ages. Outwardly, it resembles concentric circles, the diameter of the largest circle is 50 kilometers. Scientists still cannot come to a consensus about the nature of the Richat structure.
Eye of the Sahara Desert (Eye of the Sahara ) or the Richat structure.
At first, the rings in the Sahara were compared with similar formations on the surface of the Moon and Mercury and it was believed that these were craters from meteorite impacts. But over time, this version was refuted, since the Eye has a flat bottom and does not contain rocks. Scientists also rejected the hypothesis about the volcanic origin of the rings, since there is no convex dome of volcanic rocks.
The latest version put forward by scientists is that the Richat structure was formed as a result of the natural process of erosion after the uplift of a large section of the earth's crust. This is a long process, the age of the oldest ring is about 0.5-0.6 billion years.
The eye of the Sahara Desert is visible from space and serves as a landmark for astronauts.
Richat structure on the world map:
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The Richat structure, when viewed from the ground and not from space, looks something like this:
Eye of the Sahara. Educational video (it’s a pity that it’s in French).
In the western part of the Sahara Desert there is a place that many travel lovers would dream of visiting. Among the monotonous desert landscape, circles stand out, as if drawn by someone’s giant unknown hand. This place has many names: the Richat structure, the Eye of the Earth, the Eye of the Desert, the navel of the Earth. This is explained by the fact that the complex of giant rings is very similar to the pupil of the human eye, framed by the contours of the eyelids.
STRANGE RINGS
The Richat structure was discovered about half a century ago, in 1965, during the first space flights. It is not surprising that the Eye of the Sahara was not noticed before the start of the space age, because the diameter of its outer contour is about 50 kilometers, so the rings can only be seen from a considerable height. On the spot, everything looks like a rocky desert with a series of different lowlands and hills. The structure was formed gradually, ring by ring. In the process of research, scientists were able to establish the age of this geological formation - 600 million years, that is, it has existed since the Proterozoic period.
The nature of the rings has long been a mystery to geologists. If you look from afar, the picture that opens to your gaze appears to be a destroyed volcano or a crater left by a meteorite.
There are many versions of the origin of the Eye, but we can already say for sure that no volcanic rocks were found in these places, nor any traces of a powerful impact. Scientists were able to establish that the Richat structure has the shape of a truncated tectonic dome. During the time of dinosaurs, that is, in the Cretaceous period, a dome-shaped uplift of the earth's crust occurred here, and then, under the influence of precipitation and winds, the above-ground part was cut down to the base. The circles we see today are layers of durable quartzite. They form ridges about 100 meters high with steep cliffs towards the center of the Eye and gentle slopes on the outside.
Due to its enormous size and clear outline against the backdrop of the endless sands of the Sahara, the Eye of the Earth serves as a kind of landmark for astronauts. Thus, Valentin Lebedev, looking at an amazing geological object, round in shape and unusual in structure, from the window of the Salyut-7 station, realized that he associated it with a children's pyramid assembled from rings of various colors.
It would seem that such lifeless and mysterious landscapes should evoke fear and apprehension in a person. Nevertheless, several one-story buildings have already been built here, serving as a kind of hotel for thrill-seekers, and they are not empty.
IT'S ALL THE FAULT OF THE METEORITE
As for scientists, to this day they cannot come to a common conclusion about the reason for the emergence of this geological formation.
The very first hypothesis put forward by researchers was that the Eye of the Earth is a crater formed at the site of the fall of a giant meteorite. However, attempts to collect evidence were unsuccessful. Scientists were unable to detect any traces of the impact of a cosmic body on the earth, nor the consequences of this impact. The bottom of the ring formation is flat, there are no depressions, as well as signs of the impact of a shock wave on the rocks surrounding the Eye. In addition, supporters of the crater version were unable to explain the presence of not one, but several rings, ideally nested within each other. After all, in order to achieve such a pattern, several meteorites of different sizes must fall into this place with high precision, which simply cannot happen.
DORMANT VOLCANO
For a long time, the volcanic version of the formation of rings looked most plausible. It was based on photographs of ring structures discovered on Mars, the Moon and Mercury.
In 1985, a section devoted to this phenomenon even appeared in the textbook “General Geotectonics”. The authors explained the origin of the ring structures as the result of an ancient volcanic eruption many centuries ago. But here's the problem - Oko consists mainly of sedimentary dolomite rocks; there are no volcanics or traces of a volcanic dome in it. Therefore, the volcanic theory does not stand up to criticism, despite the fact that the perfectly round shape of the mysterious rings fits perfectly into it.
COSMODROME
When something cannot be explained, the most fantastic assumptions arise. So in the case of the Eye, versions immediately appeared that an alien spaceship landed here millions of years ago, and the rings are a trace from it. There are even those who claim that Atlantis was here, but no one has evidence for these versions. And no anomalies are observed in this area. The shepherds live a peaceful life, tending camels. In a word, everything is calm in the Sahara.
CENTURIES OF EROSION
The version that the Eye of the Sahara was formed naturally as a result of ongoing geological processes turned out to be the most provable. According to the scientists who put forward this hypothesis, the platform in this place rose and fell, while it was influenced by wind and water flows. As a result of erosion, which lasted tens of millions of years, water washed away the soft limestone and left the much harder and more durable quartzite, which led to such layered formation.
But even this plausible theory does not fully explain how rings of such a regular shape arose in the middle of the desert. This means that the question remains open for now.
TWIN BROTHER
Very similar to the Eye of the Sahara, the Siberian Eye is the Conder ridge, the only mountain range in the world that has a ring shape. Looking at this miracle of nature, one involuntarily recalls Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World”. The ridge is located 1,000 kilometers north of Khabarovsk. Of course, it is significantly smaller than the Richat structure - only eight kilometers in diameter, but it looks no less impressive. The ridge rises 800 meters above the surrounding landscape and, in photographs taken from space, resembles a lunar or Martian crater.
The Evenks and Yakuts consider Konder a sacred mountain and call it Urgula. In the northern part of the ridge there is a place where it opens, and the Conder River flows from here. This name was given to it by the discoverers, who, apparently, compared it to a camp soup (conder is a liquid porridge, a soup made from millet with lard and onions).
Those who visited inside the ring said that the vegetation there is richer than on the outside, the fruits and berries are much larger. In addition, Conder turned out to be a storehouse of minerals, precious metals and the world's largest deposit of alluvial platinum. The largest platinum nuggets on Earth weighing up to 3.5 kilograms were discovered here. Moreover, some of them have a crystalline form.
Since 1984, more than 50 minerals, platinum group elements, as well as gold and silver have been discovered on Conder. The ridge is located in a hard-to-reach place; prospectors can only get here by air or winter roads. Every season, more than 300 miners work in mining operations; 14 units wash the rock, extracting large quantities of precious metal. The existing infrastructure here (houses, shops, sports grounds, the Platinum Arena palace) is designed only for miners. This area is closed to tourists. What to do - a deposit of national importance.
Despite active development in this area, scientists still doubt the origin of the Siberian Eye. There is a version that the ridge owes its appearance to magmatic intrusion. As a result of volcanic activity, molten masses moved from the deep to the upper layers of the earth's crust. Because the igneous masses were not pushed to the surface with insufficient force, they only uplifted the surface shales, thus forming a circular ridge. But this, alas, does not explain its perfectly ring-shaped shape...
Many have heard and seen in the photo a huge structure in the Sahara Desert, very reminiscent of an asteroid impact crater. But scientists did not find traces of sintering of the soil and the remains of meteorite matter inside. And it’s hard to call this territory with a diameter of 50 km a funnel. Recently, a fantastic version has been put forward that this formation is a trace of the unprecedented power of nuclear weapons used in the past. And for this reason, the territory of the Sahara is a lifeless desert.I offer my readers a selection of high-quality photographs of this place.
Original taken from masterok in the Eye of the Sahara or Richat Structure
In the western part of the Sahara Desert - the one that belongs to Mauritania - slightly east of the village of Ouadan there is one of the most amazing and mysterious places on the planet, known as the “Richat structure” or “eye of the Earth”. Mysterious circles, drawn by an unknown force among the monotonous desert landscape, attract an inexhaustible stream of inquisitive travelers.
The age of the geological formation is more than respectable: researchers of the unique object claim that the oldest ring from a series of circles of the Guell-Er-Richat structure is not “younger” than 600,000,000 years. And the size of the “eye” is substantial: the diameter of its outer contour is about 50 km. It is clear that with such an impressive scale, the contours of the rings can only be detected at a significant height from the object.
That is why the unique structure was discovered only with the advent of the space age in 1965. Since then, the eye of the planet has served as a clear guide to astronauts in orbit, and scientists have been puzzling over the nature of this marvelous formation day and night.
Versions.
Version one - the place where the meteorite fell. I did not find confirmation, since there is no depression on the surface of the earth in the center of the structure, as in other places where cosmic bodies fall. And there are no traces of impact on the rocks.
Version two - the mouth of an extinct volcano. The Richat structure is made up of dolomite sedimentary rocks, and the complete absence of volcanic rocks and a volcanic dome nullified this assumption.
What is the Richat structure? Version three is fantastic. “This is the landing site of aliens,” some say. “Atlantis was here,” others say. But no one can prove either the first or the second.
Version four is the result of erosion. According to scientists, the platform in this place rose and fell, constantly weathering, which led to such a layered formation. To date, this version is the most plausible.
Thanks to images taken from space, there has been a significant breakthrough in geological research. In a relatively short period of time, scientists have been able to identify many places of interest to researchers from various fields. Among all these discoveries, numerous geological formations in the form of rings are of considerable interest, differing not only in size, varying from several hundred meters to 3 thousand kilometers and in age, sometimes reaching the Archean era, estimated in billions of years, but also in their genesis, which put before researchers have discussed a number of controversial issues.
One of these mysteries for scientists was the amazing Moorish soil formation, clearly visible from space. Because of its large size and clear outlines, which give it the vast and lifeless landscapes of the Saharan desert, it has been serving as a kind of beacon for people navigating the endless ocean of space for half a century.
Cosmonaut Valentin Lebedev, examining this geological object, amazing in its almost round shape and unusual structure, from the window of the Salyut-7 station in October 1982, associated it with a children's pyramid assembled from rings of various colors. You can verify the accuracy of this comparison by looking at the picture below.
True, this miracle of nature is in fact not a children's toy at all. The diameter of its outer ring is fifty kilometers, and upon closer examination it does not at all resemble a pyramid. Being directly at this place and contemplating the rocky desert with a series of different lowlands and hills, you can’t even say that it can look so impressive from space.
Apparently, this circumstance was previously the main factor for researchers that prevented them from focusing their attention on this point of our planet that, as it turned out, was so interesting for its mystery. But, as they say, “everything has its time.” Humanity's exploration of outer space has undoubtedly benefited the knowledge of our home - the Earth.
After all, just think, during his existence, man, due to his curiosity, was able to explore almost every corner of our native planet. He discovered many previously unknown islands, conquered the inaccessible peaks of the highest mountains, found a way to conduct research in the ocean depths, and overcame the cold of the earth's poles. It seemed that people had explored everything and there was nothing on Earth that was unknown to humanity. But this, as time shows, was just a short flight of stairs leading to the heights of knowledge.
A photograph of the Moorish “pyramid” taken from space half a century ago seriously puzzled scientists. Even after conducting a series of studies, to this day they have not been able to come to a consensus about the reason for the emergence of this geological formation. It, based on the conclusions of the researchers, has a rather unusual structure, which at first glance resembles the site of mining operations that were once carried out here, or a huge crater formed after the fall of a meteorite, and possibly the consequences of an ancient volcanic eruption. According to the conclusions of experts, the age of this geological formation, which received the names “eye of the desert” and “navel of the earth” thanks to the media, is 500-600 million years, that is, theoretically reaches the Proterozoic period.
As you know, at the end of this period there was a global change in the climate of our planet. This coincidence naturally became a significant factor that prompted researchers to put forward the version that the ring-shaped structure of Richat was formed as a result of the fall of a huge meteorite.
However, the attempt of geologists to collect evidence for this hypothesis in subsequent studies was unsuccessful. They were never able to find traces indicating the impact itself and its consequences. In the center of this formation there was also no depression corresponding to the force of the impact, similar to depressions at the sites of the fall of cosmic bodies. In addition, they were unable to explain the presence of not one, but several rings, ideally nested within each other. In order for such a formation to occur, several meteorites had to fall into this place with perfect accuracy, which, of course, is unlikely.
Of all the put forward versions, the most plausible is the volcanic version of the structural formation of Richat.
Scientists, analyzing photographs of this geological artifact with seemingly similar objects on Mars, Mercury and the Moon, have put forward a seemingly irrefutable version of its volcanic origin. They even managed to explain the new type of volcanic formations they discovered thanks to these photographs, called “Ring Structures.” This topic first appeared as a special section in the 1985 textbook “General Geotectonics,” written by A. E. Mikhailov and V. E. Khain.
According to this version, the origin of the Moorish ring structures is explained by centuries-old erosion of the volcano, under the influence of which the current geological artifact was formed.
But subsequent studies forced many scientists to reconsider the evidence of this hypothesis. According to the conclusion of many experts in the field of geology, the Richat structure cannot be the result of a volcanic eruption, because its formation is dominated by sedimentary dolomite rocks and there are absolutely no volcanics, characterized by microscopic sizes of mineral crystals, and effusives. In addition, in its central part, geologists were unable to detect any signs of a volcanic dome.
By the way, why the eye? Yes, because from a certain distance the complex of giant rings amazingly accurately recreates the shape of the pupil of the human eye, framed by the contours of the eyelids. The initial hypothesis was that the planet's waking eye was nothing more than a crater formed as a result of the fall of a giant meteorite. This version still defends its right to exist among the possible reasons for the appearance of the oldest geological structure.
But the explanations of the supporters of the “crater” theory regarding the flat shape of the bottom of the ring formation do not sound very convincing, to put it mildly. The Richat formation cannot boast of a characteristic depression or traces of impact.
The essence of another version is that the appearance of a geological artifact is the result of a long-standing volcanic eruption. Upon closer examination, this hypothesis does not stand up to criticism: the product of the eruption should have left a dome-shaped imprint of volcanic rocks in memory of itself, but, alas, this is not the case. It’s a pity: the almost perfectly round shape of the mysterious rings would harmoniously fit into the hypothesis of an extinct volcano. In attempts to explain the reason for the appearance of mystical circles, completely fantastic versions were put forward, including the landing of aliens - it is clear that such ideas were shattered to pieces by elementary common sense.
Supporters of the supernatural, who tried to explain the presence of circles by the presence of otherworldly forces, also faced a fiasco: there are no traces of any anomalies in the area of the structure - shepherds have long lived in the mysterious territory and camels graze peacefully, without showing the slightest signs of concern.
The most plausible and tenacious hypothesis was that the eye of the planet was formed as a result of natural geological processes. First, the earth's crust rose, and then wind and water flows came into play - it was centuries-old erosion that led to the appearance of an all-seeing eye on the face of the planet. But even this theory does not provide a comprehensive explanation of Richat’s strict geometry, so the question of where the regular circles in the middle of the desert came from still remains open. This means that the great discovery of the true origin of the rings of Guell Er Richat awaits us ahead.
