supereruption

English

Etymology

From super- +‎ eruption.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌsuːpəɹɨˈɹʌpʃn̩/
• Rhymes: -ʌpʃən

Noun

supereruption (plural supereruptions)

1. (dentistry) Overeruption. [from 20th c.]
2. The massive eruption of a supervolcano. [from 20th c.]
   • 2012, George Dyson, Turing's Cathedral, Penguin, published 2013, page 204:

     The Los Alamos mesa rested against the eastern slope of the Jemez Mountains, on the rime of the Valles Caldera, formed as a result of two explosive super-eruptions 1.6 and 1.1 million years ago.

References

• “supereruption”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.