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
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Some very recent research on Elbrus suggests the volcano has been active for over 200,000 years and might be a candidate for a caldera-collapse eruption (which wouldn’t be the first in the area), but the latter is speculation.
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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.
Origin and Etymology of caldera
Spanish, literally, cauldron, from Late Latin caldaria — more at cauldron
First Known Use: 1667
Other Geology Terms
anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale
Learn More about caldera
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See words that rhyme with caldera Spanish Central: Translation of caldera Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about caldera
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