Plural of caldera; large volcanic depressions formed when a volcano erupts and its magma chamber collapses.
From Spanish caldera meaning 'cauldron' or 'kettle,' from Latin caldaria. The term was borrowed into geological vocabulary because the crater resembles a giant cooking pot.
Calderas can be absolutely massive—Yellowstone's caldera is so huge that geysers and hot springs scattered across an area the size of a small state are all fed by the same underground heat source beneath it!
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