What does caldera mean?
A caldera is a large, cauldron-shaped depression that forms when a volcano collapses into the empty space left by an erupted magma chamber, or when violent explosions blast material outward. Unlike an ordinary volcanic crater, which is a modest summit bowl, a caldera can span many miles — Yellowstone's measures tens of miles across. The word entered English from Spanish, where it means 'cooking pot', ultimately tracing back to Latin 'caldaria'. Calderas often fill with water to form spectacular lakes, as at Crater Lake in Oregon, or become cradles of civilization, as on the Greek island of Santorini. Geologists distinguish several formation types, including collapse calderas and explosion calderas. The term is standard in volcanology and appears frequently in nature writing and travel literature describing dramatic volcanic landscapes.
nounA large, basin-shaped volcanic depression formed when a volcano collapses into or explodes out its underlying magma chamber, typically much wider than a volcanic crater.
- A large basin-shaped volcanic depression formed by collapse or explosion of a volcano's magma chamber.
- Loosely, any large enclosed depression resembling such a volcanic feature (rare, figurative use).
"The hikers descended into the vast caldera of Crater Lake, where a deep blue lake now fills the collapsed volcano."
"Yellowstone's enormous caldera stretches roughly 45 by 30 miles across Wyoming."
"From the rim, the Ngorongoro caldera looked like an amphitheatre teeming with wildlife."
Standard English plural, simply adding '-s'.
"The archipelago contains several submerged calderas."
Crater Lake in Oregon fills a caldera so deep it is the deepest lake in the United States — and its name literally means 'cooking pot' in Spanish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caldera
Caldera comes directly from Spanish 'caldera', meaning 'cooking pot' or 'cauldron', a borrowing adopted into English in the 19th century as geologists described volcanic collapse basins. The Spanish word descends from Late Latin 'caldaria' ('hot water vessel'), related to Latin 'calidus' ('hot'). Its English cousin 'cauldron' shares this Latin root through Old French.
How caldera is actually used
Caldera is a technical term used chiefly in geology, volcanology, and travel writing about famous volcanic sites; it carries no strong connotation beyond scientific neutrality. It is almost always used with geographic names (e.g., 'the Santorini caldera').
Easily confused with caldera
A crater is a smaller bowl at a volcano's summit formed by explosive ejection, whereas a caldera is a much larger collapse feature formed by the ground sinking into an emptied magma chamber.
A maar is a small, shallow volcanic crater produced by steam explosions, while a caldera is a huge depression created by collapse after major eruptions.