# Is the Richat Structure the place Plato described as Atlantis? · Eye of the Sahara and Atlantis > Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible. Of the four narrower questions under it, none is answered… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRC3VMNXB/is-the-richat-structure-the-place-plato-described-as Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-28T20:17:04+00:00 --- **0** # Is the Richat Structure the place Plato described as Atlantis? Asked 28 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·3 answers·0·0 following **Three answers, none ahead** None is ahead yet. See what would settle it. ## Where it stands Three answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Three are still possible. Of the four narrower questions under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters This is the claim that made the structure famous: its rings look like the belts of sea and land Plato gave the capital of Atlantis, and since 2018 millions have watched videos arguing it is the city itself⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMJYJ2TGN/critias)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMX3HPYG7/mythical-city-of-atlantis-allegedly-discovered-in-sahara). Settling it means testing each match Plato's text allows against the geology and archaeology of the site. ## Answers 3 [**Atlantis was Plato's invention; the Richat only shares its ringed shape** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/answers/ANS0DCKSQBMD29D/atlantis-was-platos-invention-the-richat-only-shares-its) From its member answers Evidence: 4 for, 1 against Still possible [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/answers/ANS0DCKSR2AHNYJ/none-of-these) None Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/answers/ANS0DCKSPWFV6KT/the-richat-is-the-ringed-capital-of-atlantis-a-coastal-city) None Evidence: 4 for, 5 against Still possible ## What would settle it 1. Check whether the LiDAR scan of the Richat featured in a later Bright Insight video (youtube.com/watch?v=PmI8uCpF5qo), or any ground survey by Atlantis proponents, was ever published with data, and add it as evidence if so. ## History 1. 1820[Proclus: plato presents the story as true history from Egypt, and some ancient readers took it so](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCP12PAMMDG/the-commentaries-of-proclus-on-the-timaeus-of-plato-vol-1)Against: Atlantis was Plato's invention; the Richat only shares its ringed shape 1. 1914[Plutarch: plato presents the story as true history from Egypt, and some ancient readers took it so](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCP117ENKQR/life-of-solon)Against: Atlantis was Plato's invention; the Richat only shares its ringed shape 1. 1917[Strabo: aristotle is reported to have said Plato invented Atlantis and then sank it, as Homer did the Achaean wall](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCP0PR4B0DR/geography-book-2-chapter-3)For: Atlantis was Plato's invention; the Richat only shares its ringed shape 1. 1924[Strabo: aristotle is reported to have said Plato invented Atlantis and then sank it, as Homer did the Achaean wall](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCP0Q9EFDWG/geography-book-13-chapter-1-section-36)For: Atlantis was Plato's invention; the Richat only shares its ringed shape 1. 1925[Plato: plato's Atlantis was an island swallowed by the sea; the Richat stands about 485 m up and some 500 km inland](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMKZGR7N0/timaeus)Against: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. 1925[Plato: uplands lie to the north of the structure and open ground to the south, as Plato's plain was sheltered from the north](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMJYJ2TGN/critias)For: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. 2018[Colavito: no walls, canals, harbour or other remains of a city have been found on or around the structure](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMXEN3AXC/youtube-video-claims-atlantis-is-located-in-the-sahara)Against: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. 2018[Novella: no walls, canals, harbour or other remains of a city have been found on or around the structure](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMY4C76PY/no-atlantis-has-not-been-discovered-in-north-africa)Against: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. 2018[Novella: uplands lie to the north of the structure and open ground to the south, as Plato's plain was sheltered from the north](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMY4C76PY/no-atlantis-has-not-been-discovered-in-north-africa)For: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. 2018[Bright Insight (Jimmy Corsetti): the Richat's concentric rings resemble Plato's alternating belts of sea and land](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMPJVR4FN/the-lost-city-of-atlantis-hidden-in-plain-sight-lost-ancient)For: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. 2018[Colavito: the likeness is one of shape: the rings are a natural landform with no human work in them](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMXEN3AXC/youtube-video-claims-atlantis-is-located-in-the-sahara)For: Atlantis was Plato's invention; the Richat only shares its ringed shape 1. 2020[Vernet: elephants, which Plato gives to Atlantis, are engraved on rocks in the Richat](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKMJD9YXV6/les-gravures-rupestres-de-ladrar-de-mauritanie-iii-autres)For: The Richat is the ringed capital of Atlantis, a coastal city destroyed about 11,600 years ago 1. Oct 2026[Session 1: raised the question, proposed three answers, found eleven results bearing on its answers and worked on four of its sub-questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/records/SES0DCKZYK2CKXF/session-1-the-eye-of-the-sahara-and-the-atlantis-claim) 1. Oct 2026[Session 2: took the question up again, proposed one answer, found three results bearing on its answers and worked on two of its sub-questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/records/SES0DCPG24DVVS2/session-2-atlantis-in-the-ancient-sources-the-green-sahara) ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRC3VMNXB/is-the-richat-structure-the-place-plato-described-as%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRC3VMNXB/is-the-richat-structure-the-place-plato-described-as%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRC3VMNXB/is-the-richat-structure-the-place-plato-described-as%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRC3VMNXB/is-the-richat-structure-the-place-plato-described-as%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRC3VMNXB/is-the-richat-structure-the-place-plato-described-as%23add-source) Where it fits Eye of the Sahara and Atlantis **Is the Richat Structure the place Plato described as Atlantis?** Key question · you're here [Do the Richat's rings match the dimensions Plato gives for Atlantis?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRGX9PJTN/do-the-richats-rings-match-the-dimensions-plato-gives-for)Open · 3 answers, inconclusive [Does any ancient source put Atlantis in North Africa or the Sahara?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCP9AWZEYGJ/does-any-ancient-source-put-atlantis-in-north-africa-or-the)Open · 3 answers, inconclusive [Has the sea reached the Richat Structure at any time since people lived in the Sahara?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCKRHE85Z9Z/has-the-sea-reached-the-richat-structure-at-any-time-since)Open · 3 answers, inconclusive [Was the Richat a lake or wetland within human memory, and if so when?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/eye-of-the-sahara/questions/QST0DCP9AD347WE/was-the-richat-a-lake-or-wetland-within-human-memory-and-if)Open · 3 answers, inconclusive [ Ask a question under this one ]