Ibn-Batutah: A possible simple impact structure in southeastern Libya, a remote sensing study

The Ibn-Batutah feature is a circular structure centered on 21°34′10″ N and 20°50′15″ E and located in the prefecture of the Hamadat Ibn-Batutah plateau, southeastern Libya. It is a singular geological structure formed in Nubian Sandstone of most likely early Cretaceous age. Remote sensing investigations based on Landsat ETM+, dual-band (L and C) and dual-polarization (HH and HV) radar (SIR-C), and SRTM data reveal a morphological resemblance of the Ibn-Batuta structure to other confirmed terrestrial simple impact structures. The structure is in the form of a circular basin 2.5 km in diameter and ~ 25 m deep, surrounded by a low-relief rim that rises to within 5 m of the surrounding terrains over much of its extent. No endogenic geological processes such as magmatism, diapirism, karst dissolution, and glacial or fluvial erosion can decisively explain the formation of the Ibn-Batutah structure within a large area of flat-lying Mesozoic sandstones. Thus, this paper proposes that the Ibn-Batutah structure represents a simple impact structure. Verification of this hypothesis will require collection and analyses of rock samples from in and around the structure, although the area is currently almost inaccessible for environmental and security reasons.