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New Senator Caldera
Blake River Megacaldera Complex map.jpg
New Senator Caldera is highlighted cyan
Location Ontario-Quebec, Canada
Range Canadian Shield
Geology Calderas

The New Senator Caldera is a very old and large caldera complex located in Quebec, Canada. It sits right in the middle of the Blake River Megacaldera Complex, which is a huge area with many calderas.

This caldera is about 15 to 30 kilometers wide. It is mostly made of thick, dark, heavy rocks. Scientists believe that in its early days, the New Senator Caldera had a lava lake that was completely underwater!

What is a Caldera?

A caldera is a large, bowl-shaped hollow that forms when the ground above a magma chamber collapses after a big volcanic eruption. Think of it like a giant crater left behind by a volcano.

How the New Senator Caldera Formed

The New Senator Caldera formed a very long time ago, during a period called the Archaean Eon. This was billions of years ago, when Earth was much younger.

Scientists think that the underwater lava lakes were a key part of how this caldera developed. These lava lakes were huge and had different types of rock within them, from coarse (rough) to fine (smooth) grains. They also had a top layer made of hyaloclastite, which is like shattered volcanic glass.

Inside the Caldera

Inside the caldera, you can find gabbro sills. These are flat layers of cooled magma that pushed their way into existing rock layers. They are often found in calderas that are rich in dark, heavy rocks.

There's also a special rock formation called the Kiwanis (Norands) intrusion. This was a pool of molten rock that formed deep underground while the volcanoes were active. Later, it was cut through by other types of rock, like basaltic dikes and sills, which are also layers of cooled magma.

Where is the Caldera Located?

The New Senator Caldera is found in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The eastern edge of the caldera is marked by a large crack in the Earth's crust called the Glenwood fault.

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