CAPF AC 2021 Q36: Geography – Physical Geography & Geomorphology
What is the depression at the top of a volcano following a volcanic eruption called?
- (a) Chamber
- (b) Vent
- (c) Cinder
- (d) Crater
Answer: (d) Crater
Explanation
Parts of a volcano
How to think: follow the magma from bottom to top.
It is stored in a chamber, rises through a vent, and leaves a bowl-shaped hollow at the top called the crater.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Magma chamber | Underground store of molten rock |
| Vent | The pipe or opening through which magma rises |
| Cinder | Small fragments of solidified lava thrown out |
| Crater | Depression at the top of the volcano around the vent |
| Caldera | A very large depression formed when the top collapses |
Answer: (d) Crater.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. The chamber lies deep below the volcano and stores magma.
- (b) Incorrect. The vent is the passage through which lava comes out.
- (c) Incorrect. Cinder is loose volcanic material, not a landform at the top.
- (d) CORRECT. The crater is the bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano.
Key point
Chamber (store) → vent (pipe) → crater (depression at the top). A caldera is a much larger depression formed by collapse; water may fill it to form a crater or caldera lake (e.g. Lonar is a meteorite crater lake).
Remember
Depression at the top of a volcano = crater.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the vent (the opening) with the crater (the depression).
- Confusing a crater with a caldera, which is far larger and formed by collapse.
- Thinking a cinder cone is the name of the hollow at the top.
Exam tip
Educated guess: the word crater is used for any bowl-shaped pit, even on the Moon. A depression at the top fits that word exactly.
Sources
- NCERT Class XI Geography — Fundamentals of Physical Geography (Interior of the Earth: volcanoes and volcanic landforms)
- NCERT Class VII Geography — Our Changing Earth