supervolcano

English

Etymology

super- +‎ volcano.

Noun

supervolcano (plural supervolcanoes or supervolcanos)

  1. (volcanology) A powerful volcano, often having an explosive or cataclysmic eruption.
    • 1983, Louis Berman, John C. Evans, Exploring the Cosmos (→ISBN), page 178:
      Mosaic of Olympus Mons on Mars. The supervolcano is nearly 600 kilometers wide at the base and 25 kilometers high and is capped by a crater 65 kilometers in diameter. It is about five times larger than the most massive volcanic cone on earth, Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
    • 1984, Richard Monaco, Runes (→ISBN), page 64:
      The stone went dark, and instantly the supervolcano burst with an unthinkable blast. A miles-deep plug of dark and hot earth flew upward, followed by a tremendous expanding cloud. Swirling, dense substance spread and thickened [...]

Derived terms
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