caldera

noun

cal·​de·​ra kal-ˈder-ə 

kȯl-,

-ˈdir- 

: 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

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.

Examples of caldera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kilauea frequently erupts, having done so six times since 2020, all within the caldera. —David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025

Fountains of lava soon began spewing skyward, and the molten rock spread out quickly along the bottom of the caldera. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

The latest eruption is the sixth within the caldera since 2020, per the USGS. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 24 Dec. 2024

Luxury hotels carved into precipitous cliffs peer out over Santorini’s sunken caldera, and narrow alleys wind between blue-shuttered, whitewashed houses in Mykonos. —Helen Iatrou, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, cauldron, from Late Latin caldaria — more at cauldron

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

caldera

noun

cal·​de·​ra kal-ˈder-ə  kȯl- 

-ˈdir-

: a large crater formed by the collapse of a volcanic cone or by an explosion