cryptovolcanicadj.
/ˌkrɪptə(ʊ)vɒlˈkanɪk/, U.S. /ˌkrɪptəvɔlˈkænɪk/, /ˌkrɪptəvɑlˈkænɪk/ Geology.
Of a phenomenon or structure (esp. a crater): apparently volcanic but occurring or formed in the absence of evident volcanic activity.Many structures formerly so described have been shown to result from meteorite impact.
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volcanic1776
cryptovolcanic1910
1910 Nature 15 Sept. 342/2 The earthquake is, therefore, regarded as belonging to the class called crypto-volcanic by Prof. Hörnes, which Prof. Rothpletz prefers to call ‘injection’ earthquakes.
1914 R. A. Daly Igneous Rocks & their Origin xiii. 285 (caption) Section of the cryptovolcanic dome of the Steinheim Basin, Germany.
1954 W. D. Thornbury Princ. Geomorphol. (1962) xx. 521 Some alleged cryptovolcanic structures may prove to be meteorite craters.
1977 A. Hallam Planet Earth 28/1 The second group of theories invokes an entirely terrestrial origin, involving special and speculative types of volcanic or cryptovolcanic eruptions and processes.
2008 J. S. Holland Weird Kentucky 13/2 This crater was originally misidentified as a cryptovolcanic structure—one that mainstream science cannot explain.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1910