supervolcano

Definition

A powerful volcano, often having an explosive or cataclysmic eruption.

Etymology

From super- + volcano.

Example Sentences

• "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."
• "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 [...]"
• "Sytau is rabidly volcanic; a dozen "supervolcanoes" 50-120 kilometers wide are erupting across the planet. Sytau's carbon content and constant volcanism make natural diamonds plentiful, if extremely costly and dangerous to recover."