Commerson Crater is a

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

in the mountains of

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

, an overseas department of France. Located in the municipal territory of Saint-Joseph, it is part of the

Piton de la Fournaise Piton de la Fournaise (; en, "Peak of the Furnace") is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island (a French overseas department and region) in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, alo ...

, a

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

on the eastern end of Réunion Island, but is located outside of the

Enclos Fouqué The Enclos Fouqué is the most recent caldera build by the Piton de la Fournaise Piton de la Fournaise (; en, "Peak of the Furnace") is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island (a French overseas department and region) in th ...

, the volcano's most recent caldera. The caldera was named in honor of

Philibert Commerson Philibert Commerson (; 18 November 1727 – 14 March 1773), sometimes spelled Commerçon by contemporaries, was a French naturalist, best known for accompanying Louis Antoine de Bougainville on his voyage of circumnavigation in 1766–1769. ...

, a French

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Climate

Due to its elevated position, Commerson Crater receives considerable amounts of rainfall, especially during tropical storms. During

Cyclone Hyacinthe Tropical Cyclone Hyacinthe was the wettest tropical cyclone on record worldwide. The eighth named storm of the season, Hyacinthe formed on January 15, 1980, to the northeast of Mauritius in the southern Indian Ocean. Initially it moved to t ...

in January 1980, it received of rainfall in 15 days, the most precipitation dropped by a tropical cyclone in a single location. The second greatest amount of rainfall in a single tropical cyclone also occurred in Commerson Crater, when

Cyclone Gamede Intense Tropical Cyclone Gamede was among the wettest tropical cyclones on record, dropping more than 5.5 m (18 ft) of rain in a nine-day period on Réunion island in the southwest Indian Ocean. The seventh named storm of the 2006–0 ...

dropped of rain in 2007. Nowhere else has received even of rainfall from a single tropical cyclone. La_Réunion_Plate_Volcano_Commerson.jpg, Indicator La_Réunion_Cratère_Commerson.jpg, Crater of Commmerson volcano La_Réunion_view_from_volcano_Commerson1.jpg, View from this area La_Réunion_view_from volcano_Commerson2.jpg, View of ''Piton des Neiges'' from Commerson

References

{{reflist, 30em Shield volcanoes of France Hotspot volcanoes Extinct volcanoes Volcanoes of Réunion Mountains of Réunion Polygenetic shield volcanoes Calderas of Réunion