Richat Structure, Mauritania
The Eye of the Sahara, a 40 km ring of eroded rock that is easy to see from orbit.
Terra Explorer Natural wonders
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The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Mauritania
- Position
- 21.1270, -11.4010
- Area
- 50 × 50 km
- Real elevation
- 348 to 616 m (268 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:333,300
- Heights
- 2× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- Desert
- Group
- Natural wonders
About Richat Structure, Mauritania
The Richat Structure, or Guelb er Richât (Arabic: قلب الريشات, romanized: Qalb ar-Rīšāt, Hassaniyya: [galb er.riːʃaːt] ), often called the Eye of Africa is a prominent circular geological feature at the northwestern edge of the Taoudeni Basin, on the Adrar Plateau of the Sahara. It is located near Ouadane in the Adrar Region of Mauritania. In Hassaniya Arabic, rīšāt means feathers and it is also known locally in Arabic as tagense, referring to the circular opening of the leather pouch that is used to draw water from local wells. It is an eroded geological dome, 40 kilometres (25 mi) in diameter, caused by a subsurface igneous intrusion deforming the overlying sedimentary rock layers, causing the rock to be exposed as concentric rings with the oldest layers exposed at the centre of the structure.
From Wikipedia: Richat Structure, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Richat Structure, Mauritania
Where is Richat Structure?
Richat Structure is in Mauritania at 21.1270, -11.4010. The model covers a 50 by 50 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Richat Structure model?
The land in this model runs from 348 to 616 m (268 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 2 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Richat Structure?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 6.6 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:333,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Richat Structure model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Richat Structure model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Richat Structure terrain model good for?
People use it as a desk piece, a gift for a traveler or a way to show students how the land is shaped.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Richat Structure, Mauritania from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 50 by 50 kilometer square centered on 21.1270, -11.4010. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:333,300. The heights are exaggerated 2× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.