This 1.6-km-wide caldera formed about 9,400 years ago at the summit of Ushishur and now opens towards the south, allowing sea water to fill the caldera. Four lava domes (three of which are visible here) have grown within the caldera. An area containing fumaroles and hot springs along the SE caldera shoreline was a sacred place to Kuril Ainu people in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Photo by Yoshihiro Ishizuka, 2000 (Hokkaido University).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license terms.

Galleries: Calderas

Keywords: caldera | lava dome

Ushishur