caldera

noun cal·de·ra \ kal-ˈder-ə , kȯl- , -ˈdir- \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of caldera

: a volcanic crater that has a diameter many times that of the vent and is formed by collapse of the central part of a volcano or by explosions of extraordinary violence

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Recent Examples of caldera from the Web

The caldera lookout at Jaggar Museum is often crowded around sunset, says Traveler writer Jordi Lippe-McGraw, but since the national park is open 24 hours, the secret is to go for sunrise.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Flight Deal: Mainland U.S. to Hawaii from $460 Round-Trip," 19 Feb. 2018
Nearly three million years old, the ancient caldera shelters one of the most beautiful wildlife havens on earth.

— Town & Country, "These Are the 83 Top Hotels Around the World," 6 Oct. 2016
The National Park visitor center and hotel — Volcano House — are on the rim of the caldera.

— angela fritz, Washington Post, "8 fascinating things you never knew about Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano," 7 May 2018
Aerial shots show the Puu Oo volcanic vent southeast of Kilauea's caldera churning smoke after the eruption.

— joe sutton, CNN, "This isn't the first time volcanic lava has spread in Hawaii residential areas," 4 May 2018
Several miles westward, nestled in Kilauea’s summit caldera, Halema‘uma‘u pit crater is evolving toward a hazardous scenario that reminds volcanologists like myself of a giant blowout that happened there in 1924.

— wendell duffield, Scientific American, "Kilauea’s Next Eruptions May Mirror a Big One in Its Past," 15 May 2018
The Yellowstone caldera -- an ancient supervolcano sleeping under a large part of northwestern Wyoming -- is a popular subject of apocalyptic imaginaton, but don't bother running to your disaster shelter.

— aj willingham, CNN, "Volcanoes. Geysers. Earthquakes. Mother Earth sure seems angry right now," 14 May 2018
So what does the Steamboat activity mean for the risk of an eruption of the Yellowstone caldera, an event that could blanket Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago in a foot of ash?

— alex horton, chicagotribune.com, "A Yellowstone geyser has experienced unusual eruptions lately, and scientists can't explain why," 29 Apr. 2018
So what does the Steamboat activity mean for the risk of an eruption of the Yellowstone caldera, an event that could blanket Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago in a foot of ash?

— alex horton, Washington Post, "A Yellowstone geyser has experienced unusual eruptions lately — and scientists can’t explain why," 29 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caldera.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression, a caldera forms when the top of a volcanic cone collapses into the space left after magma is ejected during a violent volcanic eruption. Its diameter is many times that of the original vent. The term is Spanish for "caldron." Subsequent minor eruptions may build small cones on the floor of the caldera, and the caldera may still later fill up with water; an example of this is Crater Lake in Oregon.