Mysterious Geologic Structure Seen from Space

Locutus

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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.

The photo shows Kuipers' unique vantage point from the orbiting complex, which flies approximately 240 miles (386 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth. The image was taken on March 7 using a Nikon D2Xs camera, officials at the European Space Agency said in a statement.
During their months-long stints aboard the International Space Station, astronauts often perform Earth observations for science and public outreach.
Throughout their mission, many spaceflyers maintain active social media presences, such as on Twitter or Google+, to share stunning views from spacewith members of the public.
Space agencies also use photos taken by astronauts to engage students and space enthusiasts in geography, planetary science and human spaceflight.
There are currently six people living and working on the space station: Kuipers, Americans Dan Burbank and Don Pettit, and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Oleg Kononenko. Burbank is commander of the station's Expedition 30 mission.
Kuipers launched to the space station in December 2011. He is almost midway through his six-month stay at the orbiting outpost. Kuipers, Kononenko and Pettit are slated to return to Earth on July 1.
Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect that the Richat structure in Mauritania is not a lava crater.


Giant Sahara Lava Crater Seen from Space | Astronaut Photos, Earth from Space | OurAmazingPlanet.com
 

Dexter Sinister

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The story at the "geologists have said" link doesn't really support the claim that its origin is mysterious. It's an eroded circular anticline created by an igneous intrusion from below pushing up sediments. Eroded anticlines are quite common surface features. Such near perfect circularity is unusual, but there's nothing particularly mysterious about it.
 

spaminator

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atlantis found!;)

they also found a mysterious formation in the arctic or Antarctic. some believe it could be atlantis.
 

MHz

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Looks like something I saw at a Pink Floyd concert once...at least I think it was Pink Floyd...8O
Sounds like a whole tab of orange barrel acid.

An ancient impact into an almost liquid crust that was layered like a 'shooter' and the waves eventually 'froze' in this form of ripples. Some south African rock is older than the Canadian Shield and nobody know if it and Hudson's Bay were formed at the same time and in the same way, an impact. Sorry no link as it hasn't been published yet.

The story at the "geologists have said" link doesn't really support the claim that its origin is mysterious. It's an eroded circular anticline created by an igneous intrusion from below pushing up sediments. Eroded anticlines are quite common surface features. Such near perfect circularity is unusual, but there's nothing particularly mysterious about it.
That is more in line with the chain of mountains that travels the whole length of the Americas, mountain chains are irregular features that features lifted and broken crustal layers. The banding in such rocks could have formed on a planet that was molten magma that was as still as any forest pond except for the bulge created by the moon's gravity, a bulge that would have been able to circle the globe unimpeded by any 'shoreline'. Would that have not also allowed for banding rather than a sea of water being need to catch the 'ash' that formed the layers. Those rocks were in banded form before the earth was even cool enough to have liquid water. The temp would have been deep space cold just a little ways above that so any water would be evaporated and then froze and the melted and evaporated before it could even hit the hot rock again.
 

gerryh

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There we go, it's electrical. Mystery solved. We now return you to your regularly scheduled drivel.
 

MHz

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Everything was molten at one time. For brevity this is what I am going with as the 'official definition'
"For thousands, even millions of years, little pieces of our earth have been eroded--broken down and worn away
by wind and water. These little bits of our earth are washed downstream where they settle to the bottom of the rivers, lakes, and oceans. Layer after layer of eroded earth is deposited on top of each. These layers are pressed down more and more through time, until the bottom layers slowly turn into rock."

What sorts of rocks would exist for them to be eroded to create the material for be eroded in the first place. Going back very far to before the moon was around and the earth had enough bulk to attract 'rocky material' and a 'slow rotation' the density of 'mixed material' would separate itself the same as milk was separated in the last century on the farm. After a billion or so years of doing that just molten rock would layer itself and freeze in that same way. Nor would gas be belching out after that many years and any impacts would freeze just like the OP one Rather than rock into water it would be some hard mud tossed into some softer mud (temp difference being the only real difference) Throw a stone into a fast moving lava flow and the ripples created will be 'overpowered' by the main current an almost no time. If that is correct then the 'circles' should have the differences in actual size that some trajectory could be plotted, perhaps even the viscosity and temp of the material impacted, the incoming would be deep space temp if it is on the smaller size. Perhaps the surface temp was enough that a solid crust existed only for moments in the dead of night. That would make the capture of the moon akin to a liquid ball and perhaps the collision was a low speed impact over a long duration that saw a collision effect the stable spinning earth to accelerate the outer 'ring' and deep enough to put the tilt and wobble to the poles of the iron core. If the other body was shy of iron then the earth's core would not be effected but the core of the other liquid body would be drawn toward the earth but the cooling prevented the completion of that motion.

Most recent thing I have read.
Moon Rock Analysis Casts Doubt on Lunar Origins | Wired Science | Wired.com

If you have a molten ball spinning and the moon creating a 'bulge' that is colder at the top in that it encounters water in the form of rain/snow and that 'crust' was broken and crumpled up during many rotations would the crust that was formed take on that appearance. If the whole thing was moving like a gold pan would you not get layers and layers and layers on each other as older layers got fresh lava washed on like waves on a shore rather than coming down as rain or dust through a sea of water? (in it's most basic defination)

There we go, it's electrical. Mystery solved. We now return you to your regularly scheduled drivel.
Is this the right time to say 'whatever powers your crank?'

There we go, it's electrical. Mystery solved. We now return you to your regularly scheduled drivel.
Does earth have a charge that could be the same as hair and a balloon and a wall. Like charges would be repulsive or 'impact immune' and in a unlike polarity would create a 'spark' or many sparks. Lightening with a trunk diameter measured in km, the formations under should be the same as modern day lightening-strikes.
 
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darkbeaver

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There we go, it's electrical. Mystery solved. We now return you to your regularly scheduled drivel.

I believe I detect a smattering of sarcasm. I can tell you with certainty that when you meet god, again, as we all must, you will finally see light and be shocked at the same time/distance. Of course at that time owing to your obvious reluctance to embrace the lord, while you were here in hell, you will be judged and sentenced to repeat the grade. That's not so bad I've flunked out of life hundreds of times, that's why I'm still here in Lower Egypt.
 

gerryh

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see... there's one big difference between you and I.... you believe we are living in hell.... while I believe, considering my wife and kids, that I am living in damn near paradise. A far cry from hell.
 

MHz

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I believe I detect a smattering of sarcasm.
Here's some if you are having a hard time spotting it. With the electicc mode all you need to do is determine the polarity of anything incoming and that would show if anything needs to be done at all. If and ark-welding is a possibility then sending a 'weapon' that can generate a pulse to move it off course would be the way to go. Do you want to wait for my abacus to do the math or should Dex just replay it from memory (right formulas)?

Would a spark some 100's of km in dia be considered to be 'fire from heaven'? No need to thank me for the refresher course in sarcasm.


How many examples so far?

see... there's one big difference between you and I.... you believe we are living in hell.... while I believe, considering my wife and kids, that I am living in damn near paradise. A far cry from hell.
Take them away and you are in a place worse than hell (actually that is where you would be so DB must be someplace else than hell right now)
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
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see... there's one big difference between you and I.... you believe we are living in hell.... while I believe, considering my wife and kids, that I am living in damn near paradise. A far cry from hell.

Lucky you! And I'm sincere but the original christian material was quite clear about heaven and hell. Anyway it's very nice to know you've been so happily rewarded by the trials of life.

MHz;1567336]Here's some if you are having a hard time spotting it. With the electicc mode all you need to do is determine the polarity of anything incoming and that would show if anything needs to be done at all. If and ark-welding is a possibility then sending a 'weapon' that can generate a pulse to move it off course would be the way to go. Do you want to wait for my abacus to do the math or should Dex just replay it from memory (right formulas)?

Would a spark some 100's of km in dia be considered to be 'fire from heaven'? No need to thank me for the refresher course in sarcasm.
That's what happens now, incoming chunks are negative with respect to earth so they get very hot during equalization.


How many examples so far?
nine hundred and eleven?



Take them away and you are in a place worse than hell (actually that is where you would be so DB must be someplace else than hell right now)
Hell is where souls go to school in matter, flesh, a carnal animal body, the beast. Overcoming the beast is done there, in hell, where the beast lives. Anyway I suppose this is not a religious thread and the Oposter will be livid maybe even insane, someone may get bitten. My children are here in hell with me, they all pay taxes and their other bills and get cold and wet and worry like everyone else in RR1lower Egypt.
 

Dexter Sinister

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Everything was molten at one time.
The article specifically mentions the presence of limestone, dolomite, and breccia. They don't form out of magmas or lavas. They were never molten, or they would not be limestone, dolomite, and breccia.anymore.

And I see The Beave has invoked his usual lightning bolt explanation for everything too. Discussing any scientific matter with you two is like talking to parrots: only a few things to say and you say them over and over again, without any real comprehension.
 

MHz

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That's what happens now, incoming chunks are negative with respect to earth so they get very hot during equalization.

nine hundred and eleven?

Hell is where souls go to school in matter, flesh, a carnal animal body, the beast. Overcoming the beast is done there, in hell, where the beast lives. Anyway I suppose this is not a religious thread and the Oposter will be livid maybe even insane, someone may get bitten. My children are here in hell with me, they all pay taxes and their other bills and get cold and wet and worry like everyone else in RR1lower Egypt.
I doubt anybody would be left alive at that time to see it let alone have anybody to report it to.

Damn, my count was closer to 3, including the question that asked for a number.

Did he have to use the same example as Ge:1 as being as close to being God as is humanly possible? No husband or father would ever give another answer. In theory he and all other relatives would gladly ditch an hour (or so) with them for an hour (or so) with Jesus, in his defense he did say it was short of being the best that life can offer. Anyway parents and children keep following each other until there is a change. For some reason it is easier for a child to plant a parent than it is the other way around, a situation that may have both blessings and curses attached.

Oddly enough the one who threatens people with death most (the Devil) is the one who gets mocked by the people who end up in that hell place. That you have to be holding a sword at some point that is more than 3 years in the future from now to even qualify for hell over the 'sleeping beauty' type of death that we would all get if death overtook us before that day of judgment. Heaven is underrated and hell is overrated, at least that is proof shysters are still hawking their wares.

The article specifically mentions the presence of limestone, dolomite, and breccia. They don't form out of magmas or lavas. They were never molten, or they would not be limestone, dolomite, and breccia.anymore.

And I see The Beave has invoked his usual lightning bolt explanation for everything too. Discussing any scientific matter with you two is like talking to parrots: only a few things to say and you say them over and over again, without any real comprehension.

If that is the parrot then that would be you, just to get the facts straight.

By point was an inquiry as to what rocks did exist to hold up the seas and create the material that was the raw material for. We also get limestone mountains so a sea floor with shells would be a wide area covered yet all nearby mountains are of other material. Slate could certainly form from lave frozen by the cold of space and then ground up to dust due to the undulations of magma just under a very thin crust.

Can a similar effect be done through a liquid that is not water (and the whole erosion process) ?

If you can only handle conversations with people that agree with you (or better yet 'learn from you') I can understand you reluctance to get into any real details that challenge the norm, even though the link about the moon does.

Still you might find something in here that you like, sorry they removed the books and the silent film archive so your regular material is missing.
Forbidden Knowledge TV
 

damngrumpy

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Mar 16, 2005
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Maybe its a new secret concept in landfills. Someone should tell Jessie Ventura about it
he will come up with a suitable conspiracy to fit the occasion