Waw an Namus, the Black Volcano of the Sahara
In the empty middle of the Sahara, a black volcano rises out of yellow sand. In its crater lie lakes of red, green and blue, and palm trees.
What was reported
Waw an Namus is a volcano in the remote south of Libya, in one of the emptiest parts of the Sahara. Its caldera is about 4 kilometres across, and the desert around it for many kilometres is covered in black volcanic ash, a dark stain visible from space.
Inside the crater, around a central cone, lie several small lakes of different colours, red, green and blue, fringed with palms and reeds. It's said that the area is plagued by swarms of mosquitoes, which gave it the name 'oasis of mosquitoes'.
Explanations offered
The lakes are fed by groundwater, and their colours come from minerals and algae. The volcano is thought to have erupted in the last few thousand years. It's one of the most isolated places on Earth.
- When
- Formed in the last few thousand years
- Where
- Waw an Namus, Fezzan, Libya
- Witnesses
- Desert travellers
- Status
- A real place
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.