The Misema Caldera is a 2,704-2,707 million year old
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
and
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Geographic extent
It is the caldera that forms the
Blake River Megacaldera ComplexASH FALL: Newsletter of the Volcanology and Igneous Petrology Division Geological Association of Canada
Retrieved on 2007-09-24 and has a diameter of 40-80 kilometres.
Composition
The caldera is also a coalescence of at least two large mafic
A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include ...
shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...
es that formed more than 2703 million years ago.[Blake River Group evolution: characteristics of the subaqueous Misema and New Senator calderas](_blank)
The rim of the Misema Caldera contains a 10-15 kilometre wide inner and outer ring zone, in which many mafic ring dike complexes and subaqueous pyroclastic sediments are detected.
The mafic ring dike structures may be deeper level expressions of summit calderas related to a shield volcano phase while the pyroclastic fragments could either be associated with satellite cones or the result of Misema caldera collapse.
Misema Caldera is the oldest and largest caldera associated with the Blake River Megacaldera Complex and is comparable in size to Lake Toba
Lake Toba (, Toba Batak: ᯖᯀᯬ ᯖᯬᯅ; romanized: ''Tao Toba'') is a large natural lake in North Sumatra, Indonesia, occupying the caldera of the Toba supervolcano. The lake is located in the middle of the northern part of the island of ...
caldera in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.
See also
* New Senator Caldera
* Noranda Caldera
*List of volcanoes in Canada
List of volcanoes in Canada is an incomplete list of volcanoes found in Geography of Canada, mainland Canada, in the Islands of Canada, Canadian islands and in Canadian waters. All but two Provinces of Canada, provinces, Prince Edward Island and ...
*Volcanism of Canada
Volcanic activity is a major part of the geology of Canada and is characterized by many types of volcanic landform, including lava flows, volcanic plateaus, lava domes, cinder cones, stratovolcanoes, shield volcanoes, submarine volcanoes, calder ...
* Volcanism of Eastern Canada
References
{{coord, 48.39, N, 79.45, W, display=title
Calderas of Ontario
Calderas of Quebec
Shield volcanoes of Canada
Archean calderas
Polygenetic volcanoes
Landforms of Abitibi-Témiscamingue