THE EYE OF THE SAHARA

For thousands of years, it has been hidden from view. Thanks to various space and satellite missions, the eye of the desert, a circular geological formation in the Western Sahara Desert, approximately 40 km wide, has revealed itself to the world.

Initially, the Richat Structure - this is the scientific name of the formation - was believed to be an impact crater, but no sign of molten rock was found in the Eye area. A fact that has made this hypothesis discarded.

Today the most accredited theory traces the origin of the structure to more than 100 million years ago, at the time of the separation of the supercontinent Pangea due to the drift of the continents. As present-day Africa and South America receded, molten rock pushed to the surface formed a cone-shaped structure.

With the passage of time the dome collapsed and erosion formed the rings still visible that indicate the various types of rock that have been consumed at different rates.