Waw an Namus (or Mosquito Oasis) is a conical volcano (or what remains of it) located in southern Libya, in particular in the Sahara Desert, in whose caldera there are three salt water lakes and rich vegetation. The caldera of a volcano is nothing more than a depression or a basin formed following the sinking of the magma chamber of a volcanic edifice, usually due to the reduction of its activity, which leads to a lower gas pressure inside the chamber, not sufficient to support the entire edifice. About 100 meters deep and about 4 kilometers wide, inside Waw an Namus it is possible to find a 140-meter high scoria cone and three small lakes (the largest with a maximum depth of 12.5 meters), probably fed by underground water, since in the area rainfall is much lower than total evaporation, therefore not sufficient to support these small bodies of water. Probably in the area there are also fresh water springs, which favor the growth of vegetation, while the basaltic rocks of the old volcanic building, of a darker color and which make up the small oasis, form an incredible chromatic contrast with the sand of the desert around, giving life to a suggestive visual effect.
Source: “Miocene to recent alkaline volcanism between Al Haruj and Waw an Namous (southern Libya)”, Jacques-Marie Bardintzeff, 2011.
