CALDERA


Meaning of CALDERA in English

n.

Large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression that forms when the top of a volcanic cone collapses into the space left after magma is ejected during a violent volcanic eruption.

The term is Spanish for "caldron." Subsequent minor eruptions may build small cones on the floor of the caldera which may still later fill up with water; an example is Crater Lake in Oregon.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.