ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Subglacial caldera

Have you ever seen a mountain? It's a big hill that's taller than all of the other hills around it. But sometimes, there's something really special about these mountains. Deep down inside, there's a hole that's even bigger than the mountain itself! That hole is called a caldera.

Now let's talk about ice. Have you ever seen a big patch of ice, like a pond or a lake, that's frozen solid? Well, sometimes there's something really special going on with that ice too. Underneath it, there might be a volcano. That volcano is called a subglacial volcano because it's under a glacier or an ice sheet.

When a subglacial volcano blows up, it can melt a lot of the ice above it really quickly. The hot magma from the volcano heats up the water in the ice, and that causes the ice to turn into water really fast. Since there can be a lot of ice on top of a subglacial volcano, that means there can be a lot of water when the volcano erupts.

That water can cause some big problems for the areas around the volcano. The water can create floods, huge waves, and even mudflows that can destroy everything in their path. That's why scientists study subglacial calderas so that they can try to predict when they might erupt and make sure everyone is safe.