caldera

caldera
/kal der"euh, kawl-/, n.
a large, basinlike depression resulting from the explosion or collapse of the center of a volcano.
[1860-65; < Sp Caldera, name of a crater on Canary Islands, lit., cauldron < LL caldaria, n. use of fem. of caldarius of warming; see CALDARIUM]

* * *

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.

* * *

Spanish“cauldron”
 large bowl-shaped volcanic depression more than one kilometre in diameter and rimmed by infacing scarps. Calderas usually, if not always, form by the collapse of the top of a volcanic cone or group of cones because of removal of the support formerly furnished by an underlying body of magma (molten rock). Often this collapse is of a composite cone that rapidly emptied the underlying magma reservoir by voluminous eruptions of pumice and pumiceous ash. At the end of the eruptions, the top of the mountain has disappeared, leaving an immense hole in its place. It once was believed that the top of the mountain had been blown away by the explosions, but studies showed that only a little of the old rock was thrown out and the rest had dropped down into the void. Subsequent minor eruptions may build small cones on the floor of the caldera, which may still later fill up with water, as did Crater Lake in Oregon.

      Other depressions, of markedly angular, irregular outline, also occur in volcanic districts and commonly are even larger than calderas. Their angular outlines and particularly angular reentrants (indentations) around their edges indicate that their shape is governed by preexisting tectonic structures (produced by movements of the Earth's crust), such as joints and faults in the underlying older rocks. They therefore are referred to as volcano-tectonic depressions. Their collapse also appears to be at least partly related to the rapid extrusion of large amounts of lava. Examples are the Rotorua-Taupo Basin in New Zealand and the basin of Lake Toba (Toba, Lake) in Sumatra.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Caldera — steht für: einen vulkanischen Krater, siehe Caldera (Krater) Caldera, Namen: geographische Objekte: Departamento La Caldera, Provinz Salta, Argentinien Caldera (Costa Rica) Stadt in Costa Rica Caldera (Chile) Stadt in Chile La Caldera, Stadt in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • CALDERA — ou CALDEIRA Grande dépression volcanique plus ou moins circulaire; le diamètre d’une caldera peut atteindre 25 kilomètres sur Terre (la plus grande caldera connue dans le système solaire semble être celle d’Olympus Mons, sur Mars, avec un… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Caldera — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Caldera se refiere a: La caldera, una máquina industrial que sirve para producir calor para mover una turbina u otros usos. La caldera es un componente de un sistema de calefaccion y para producir agua caliente… …   Wikipedia Español

  • caldera — sustantivo femenino 1. Recipiente metálico cerrado en el que se calienta agua para producir energía: la caldera de la calefacción, la caldera de una locomotora, la caldera de un barco, una caldera de gas, una caldera de carbón, una caldera a… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • caldera — (Del lat. caldarĭa). 1. f. Recipiente de metal, grande y semiesférico, que sirve comúnmente para poner a calentar o cocer algo dentro de él. 2. Recipiente metálico dotado de una fuente de calor, donde se calienta el agua que circula por los tubos …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • caldera — 1865, cavity on the summit of a volcano, from Sp. caldera cauldron, kettle, from L. caldarium, caldarius pertaining to warming, from calidus warm, hot (see CALORIE (Cf. calorie)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Caldēra — Caldēra, 1) Stadt in der Provinz Atacama der südamerikanischen Republik Chile an der gleichnamigen Bai, wichtiger Hafen, Eisenbahn nach Copiapo (Hauptstadt der Provinz Atacama), lebhafter Handel; rasch aufblühend, 1843 nur 800 Ew., 1855 bereits… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Caldēra [1] — Caldēra (span.), Kesseltal (s. Barranco und Vulkane) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Caldēra [2] — Caldēra, Hafenstadt in der chilen. Provinz Atacama, an der Ingelsbai, mit dem 82 km entfernten Copiapó durch Eisenbahn verbunden, in öder Sandgegend, aber mit sicherm, durch zwei Molen geschütztem Hafen und (1885) 2129 Einw. Die Ausfuhr besteht… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Caldera — Caldēra (span., »Kessel«), eine durch Kratereinsturz entstandene Einsenkung; bes. auf der Insel Palma …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Caldera [2] — Caldēra, Hafenort in der chilen. Prov. Atacama, am Stillen Ozean, (1895) 1878 E …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”