Waw an Namus

Waw an Namus

Waw An Namus, viewed from the Space Shuttle, 25 October 1992
Highest point
Elevation 547 m (1,795 ft)
Coordinates 24°55′0″N 17°46′0″E / 24.91667°N 17.76667°E / 24.91667; 17.76667Coordinates: 24°55′0″N 17°46′0″E / 24.91667°N 17.76667°E / 24.91667; 17.76667
Geography
Waw an Namus

Location in Libya

Location Libya
Geology
Mountain type Caldera and volcanic field
Last eruption Unknown

Waw an Namus (also spelled Wau-en-Namus, Arabic: واو الناموس - Oasis of Mosquitoes[1]) is a volcanic field, cone and caldera in the southern Fezzan region of southern Libya. It is in the near-geographic center of the Sahara Desert.

Description

The inside of the caldera houses an oasis of rich foliage and three small salt lakes of variable color which are the reason for the volcano's name. A volcanic field of dark basaltic tephra flow extends 10–20 kilometres (6.2–12.4 mi) around the caldera.[1] The dark field's vast size allows it to be easily seen from space.


Access

Prior to the Libyan Civil War (2011) Waw an Namus was an increasingly popular local tourist attraction.


See also

References

Media related to Waw an Namus at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.