Waw an Namus

Waw an Namus
Wau-en-Namus, Uau en Namus, Waw an Namous
The central cone of Waw an Namus
Highest point
Coordinates	24°55′03″N 17°45′46″E / 24.91750°N 17.76278°E / 24.91750; 17.76278[1]
Naming
English translation	Oasis of mosquitoes
Geography
Waw an Namus
Geology
Age of rock	Pleistocene[1]
Mountain type	Volcano

Waw an Namus (also spelled Wau-en-Namus, Arabic: واو الناموس) is a volcano in Libya. Of either Pleistocene or Holocene age, it is located within the eastern Fezzan region. The origin of the volcanism there and at Al Haruj farther north is not clear. Radiometric dating has yielded an age of about 200,000 years, but other circumstantial evidence points to a formation of the volcano during Holocene or even historical times.

Waw an Namus is characterized by a caldera surrounded by an apron of dark tephra, which has a notable colour contrast to the surrounding desert terrain of the Sahara. A smaller crater lies northwest of the Waw an Namus caldera. The caldera itself contains a scoria cone. Several small lakes and associated vegetation are located within the caldera.