The Cosmic Bullseye in the Mauritanian Desert

From space, astronaut crews on Gemini and Apollo missions noticed a colossal concentric circular formation staring back from the western Sahara: the **Richat Structure**, popularly called the **Eye of the Sahara**.

Spanning 40 kilometers (25 miles) across the Adrar Plateau in Mauritania, the feature was originally assumed to be a meteorite impact crater. However, geological field studies confirmed it is an eroded alkaline dome formed 100 million years ago.

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The Atlantis Connection: Geological Coincidence or Ancient Truth?

In recent years, researchers have drawn startling parallels between the Richat Structure and Plato's descriptions of Atlantis in the dialogues *Timaeus* and *Critias*:

1. **Concentric Rings of Water and Land**:

Plato described Atlantis as a circular city consisting of alternating rings of land and water. The Richat Structure features this exact alternating ring topography.

2. **The Exact Diameter**:

Plato recorded the central plain of Atlantis measuring 127 stadia across (roughly 23 to 24 kilometers), matching the inner rings of the Richat Structure with stunning accuracy.

3. **Mountains to the North, Water to the South**:

Plato wrote that Atlantis was sheltered by mountains to the north (the Adrar mountain chain) and opened toward a southern plain where ancient rivers once flowed into the Atlantic.

4. **Rich in Red, Black, and White Stone**:

Plato noted that the Atlanteans quarried stone of three distinct colors: red, black, and white. The Richat formation is composed of red rhyolite, black basalt, and white limestone.