The Richat Structure
The Richat Structure, also known as the Eye of the Sahara and Guelb er
Richat, is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara desert of
west–central Mauritania near Ouadane. This structure is a deeply eroded,
slightly elliptical, 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) in diameter, dome. The
sedimentary rock exposed in this dome range in age from Late Proterozoic
within the center of the dome to Ordovician sandstone around its edges.
The sedimentary rocks comprising this structure dip outward at 10°-20°.
Differential erosion of resistant layers of quartzite has created
high-relief circular cuestas.
The center of the
Richat Structure consists of a siliceous breccia covering an area that is at least 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) in diameter.
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