Mauritania
The Eye of the Sahara, also known as the Richat Structure, is an immense circular rock formation located in the Mauritanian Sahara. Over 25 miles across, it was once thought to be the remains of an ancient impact crater. However, it is now believed to be the remains of a lava dome, though the jury is still officially out. To date the Eye of the Sahara is remote, little known and off the tourist trade’s radar.
The Richat Structure has essentially been a geogolical unknown until very recently. North African tribesmen almost certainly were aware of the strange rocks, but it wasn’t until the age of satellite photography that the full extent of the odd desert fearure became fully known.
The Eye of the Sahara is one of the largest nearly perfect circles to occur in nature. It probably formed about one hundred million years ago. No evidence of an asteroid or other extraterrestrial object has ever been found, and the significant volcanic rock in the area indicates it was the remains of a lava flow. The relatively flat character of the dome is due to millions of years of erosion.
The Eye of the Sahara is extremely isolated in the Mauritanian Desert. There is little access, and no tourism infrastructure, making it an extremely pristine destination for adventurous travelers. Web: N/A.
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