Travel Guide Guelb Er-Richat

The flattened dome of Guelb Er-Richat, which appeared during the Secondary period, is located on the borders of the black mountains of the Mauritanian Adrâr, to the west, and the flat expanses of pebbles, rocky slabs and dunes of the Taoudenni basin, to the east. This site is made up of three more or less distinct concentric circles, which are crossed by means of passes to reach the center. These circles are successively located at about 10 and 5 km from the center, the last being only one kilometer away. This strange system is so imposing that it appears today on all maps, even on a small scale. Because of its size, it was revealed only very late, by Professor Theodore Monod, in 1934. Indeed, no one, whether he comes from the harsh northern plateaus or from the dunes of Majabat Al Koubra, to the south and southeast, could imagine that these low ridges are organized in such a perfect concentric system, vaguely elliptical of 22 km and 25 km in diameter, emerging from a 45 km long buttonhole, the Taguenzé, opened in the sandstone plateau.It was not a meteorite. If the origin of the Guelb er-Rîchât has long been subject to several hypotheses, some even far-fetched, it seems that, nowadays and in the current state of knowledge, the probability of a meteorite responsible for these land folds is ruled out. Scientists are practically unanimous in affirming that this place is the result of what we can call, to simplify, an aborted volcano.Several thousands of years ago, or even several millions, a bubble of magma came to the surface of the ground causing folds. After having burst the earth's crust, the magma no longer following, it found itself without energy to propel it. It then pitifully deflated to leave a lake, now disappeared, in its center. The formation of the Guelb er-Rîchât reminds us of a soufflé that is taken out of the oven and falls back instantly. This pictorial version will make some scientists bristle, but it has the merit of being understood by most of us. And in any case, it is closer to reality than the meteorite hypothesis. That said, it is up to you to go on an adventure on the site and, perhaps, to propose another truth...