The Real Atlantis-In the Eye of the Sahara (The Weird Ancient History Series)

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NASA Earth Observatory. (2020, July 10). The Eye of the Sahara. NASA. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150060/the-eye-of-sahara. A video is making the rounds claiming “proof” that Atlantis existed in norther Africa. This video is by Jimmy from Bright Insight and it is an excellent example of crank pseudoscience. Jimmy has made himself into a social media brand, with lots of conspiracy and pseudohistory nonsense to sell, but let’s focus on this one video for now. As you can see from this photo above, there is evidence that there were once rivers running through the mountains that are north of the structure.

Let’s get to some of his specific claims. His primary piece of evidence is that the Richat structure is a series of concentric rings that precisely matches Plato’s description of Atlantis. The only real match, however, is the simple fact that both are concentric rings, which is not unlikely at all. This is a great example of interpreting a general similarity following basic geometry as if it were a specific match.

2. The accurate shape and size

The Richat structure, popularly known as the eye of the Sahara, is a striking, symmetrical, slightly elliptical geologic feature. It has concentric rings and measures about 25 miles (40 kilometers). This unique geologic feature visible from space is in central-west Mauritania’s Sahara Desert. As for the credibility of Solon, Plato, and Herodotus, they were all highly respected men and are commonly thought of as credible sources of information. Solon was a statesman, lawmaker, and poet. Plato was a philosopher and founded the Platonist School of Thought and Academy; the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Atlantis is virtually the only thing Solon and Plato have been accused of lying about. I’d like to point out, though, that the temple that had the writings of Atlantis wasn’t destroyed until thousands of years after Solon’s death, meaning anyone could have gone to see the writings for themselves. Plato’s remark that the island was larger than Libya and Asia might actually refer to north-west Africa’s apparent separation from the mainland by the ancient Tamanrasett River that ran from the Atlas mountains through what is now the Sahara Desert to the sea at Mauritania up to 7,000 years ago. With the sea level much lower, the lake would have been fed entirely by fresh water. 4. Freshwater is present to this day

Jimmy claims that an event that lasted 1,200 years “precisely” matched an event that was supposed to have happened in one day 100 years after the Younger Dryas ended. Also – there is no reason to think that the Younger Dryas affected the equatorial regions (the Richat structure is at 21 deg latitude). So really, it was in the wrong place and the wrong time for the Younger Dryas to be significant. This is a forced fit that is not compelling at all, but Jimmy thinks it is too amazing a coincidence not to be evidence. The European Space Agency. (2004, November 12). The Richat Structure, Mauritania. ESA. https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/The_Richat_structure_MauritaniaBright Insight then goes on to argue that the size of the Richat structure matches Plato’s description, which roughly translates to 23,5 kilometers (14,5 miles) in diameter. But then, what do you consider to be the outer edge of the structure? NASA puts the size of the structure at 45 kilometers (28 miles). That’s a considerable difference. However, in 2005, in a publication by the Macquarie University of Sydney, Australia, the author's wrote: "Several hypotheses have been presented to explain the spectacular Richat Structure and breccia, but their origin remains enigmatic," while a 2011 multi-analytical study (published in the Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment v. 15, no. 3) concluded that "the structure requires special protection and further investigation of its origin."