Space View Reveals Mysterious Geological Rings in Sahara Desert

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has captured stunning imagery of a dramatic geological formation in the heart of the Sahara. The photograph, taken on September 13, 2025, showcases the Jabal Arkanu massif in southeastern Libya, a region near the Egyptian border, revealing striking ring-shaped rock complexes rising from the pale desert sands.

Once widely mistaken for a colossal meteorite impact crater, this 24-kilometer-wide structure has been confirmed by fieldwork to have a purely terrestrial igneous origin. Scientists explain that the “Arkenu structures” were created about 50 million years ago through repeated episodes of magma intrusion. As molten rock pushed toward the surface and into the surrounding strata, it formed a series of overlapping, circular rings aligned toward the southwest.

The massif’s 1,400-meter-high ridges cast deep, dramatic shadows visible from orbit, highlighting the immense scale of this geological complex. The unique ISS image serves as a powerful reminder of how orbital views can spotlight remote and ancient geological processes occurring even in the planet’s most arid regions.