13. Richat Structure, Ouadane, Mauritania

This prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of Mauretania 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 kilometers (30 miles)] has become a landmark for shuttle crews. Initially interpreted as a meteorite impact structure because of its high degree of circularity, it is now thought to be merely a symmetrical uplift (circular anticline) that has been laid bare by erosion. Paleozoic quartzites form the resistant beds outlining the structure. The reason for the high degree of circularity is not clear. Some small faults are conspicuous at lower right, in the four o'clock position.

STS-41G, October 1984. Picture #17-33-110.

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