By strict definitions, a caldera is a type of crater, but calderas are distinguished by their large sizes and specific association with volcanic collapse. Yellowstone is a caldera. A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land surface after a gigantic volcanic eruption. In such an eruption the volcano's magma chamber is empty enough for the ground above it to drop. Caldera means boiling kettle or cauldron, where all the beer sorcery happens. It’s where craft beer transforms from ingredients into something extraordinary. The Yellowstone Caldera, also known as the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, is a Quaternary volcanic field, caldera complex, and volcanic plateau spanning parts of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It is driven by the Yellowstone hotspot and lies largely within Yellowstone National Park. Caldera, 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 Caldera demonstration: This video shows a teaching activity that clearly demonstrates how a caldera is formed. It can be difficult to explain or draw how a caldera forms. A large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression, a caldera forms when the top of a volcanic cone collapses into the space left after magma is ejected during a violent volcanic eruption. A caldera is a large depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses. During a volcanic eruption, magma present in the magma chamber underneath the volcano is expelled, often forcefully. Mount Mazama 's eruption timeline, an example of caldera formation A caldera (/ kɔːlˈdɛrə, kæl -/ [1] kawl-DERR-ə, kal-) is a large cauldron -like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. Here's a detailed explanation of their differences: Craters and calderas are both volcanic features, but they are formed in very different ways. A crater is a bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano, while a caldera is a much larger basin-shaped depression formed by the collapse of a volcano.