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This picture was published on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the following caption:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Day 055, orbit 0855\u2013 The Richat structure, in Mauritania, is unmistakable from above and is one of the most frequently photographed landmarks from orbit! It is about 25 miles (40 km) in diameter, that\u2019s roughly the distance you can cover by driving at 70\u00a0mph (115\u00a0km\/h) for about 20\u00a0minutes. You could fit more than twenty Manhattans inside it!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contrary to what one might imagine, it is neither an impact crater nor a volcanic crater\u2026 The Eye of the Sahara is now thought to be an eroded geological dome, sculpted by wind and water, which have exposed different layers of rock covering more than several hundred million years of Earth\u2019s history\u2026 a real treasure trove for geologists!<\/p>\n
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Jour 055, orbite 0855 \u2013 La structure Richat, en Mauritanie, est imm\u00e9diatement reconnaissable depuis l\u2019orbite\u2026 ce qui en fait une cible de choix pour les astronautes ! La structure mesure environ 40\u00a0km de diam\u00e8tre, soit la distance qui s\u00e9pare le ch\u00e2teau de Versailles de l\u2019a\u00e9roport Charles de Gaulle en r\u00e9gion parisienne. La surface de la structure est environ 10 fois celle de Paris intra-muros !\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contrairement \u00e0 ce que l\u2019on pourrait imaginer, il ne s\u2019agit ni d\u2019un crat\u00e8re d\u2019impact, ni d\u2019un crat\u00e8re de volcan\u2026 L\u2019\u0152il du Sahara\u00a0serait en r\u00e9alit\u00e9 un dome g\u00e9ologique \u00e9rod\u00e9 par l\u2019eau et le vent, qui ont mis \u00e0 jour des strates de roches couvrant plusieurs centaines de millions d\u2019ann\u00e9es de l\u2019histoire de la Terre\u2026 une v\u00e9ritable aubaine pour les g\u00e9ologues !<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n