Mysterious Geologic Structure Seen from Space

OurAmazingPlanet Staff

Date: 26 March 2012 Time: 10:51 AM ET

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Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers snapped this photo of a lava crater in Mauritania from the International Space Station. CREDIT: ESA/NASA View full size image

This story was updated at 12:54 p.m. EDT.
A huge, copper-toned formation in West Africa dominates a mesmerizing photo taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.
Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers snapped this hypnotic image of the so-called Richat structure in Mauritania, as the space station flew over the Sahara Desert on the Atlantic Coast of West Africa. Erosion of the various rock layers created the ring-like features that make up the sprawling structure, but the origin of the Richat structure remains somewhat mysterious, geologists have said.

MORE: http://www.space.com/15041-mauritania-lava-crater-astronaut-photo.html

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