The Kari-Kari caldera is ellipse-shaped and has a granitoid complex also named Kari-Kari at its centre. The caldera itself has dimensions of . Other dimensions given are . The caldera has a so-called trapdoor morphology. Outflow sheets surround the caldera on its northern and northwestern side. The Kari-Kari dome was originally assumed to be a batholith; later it is being interpreted as a resurgent ignimbrite structure. It has dimensions of and is formed by a pluton inside the welded ignimbrite, reaching thicknesses of over , with a total uplift of about . The dome reaches altitudes of over , and effects of glaciation and moraine cover are noticeable and did conceal the true nature of the dome for a while. Farther south a true intrusion called the Kumurana is also located. The Cerro Rico intrusion is found west of Kari-Kari and was previously linked to the Kari-Kari ring fault, but mapping published in 2000 suggests that it formed away from the Kari-Kari ring fault and may be an independent centre. The Kari-Kari and Canteria tuffs and tuff-breccias are associated with the caldera. The formation of Kari-Kari may have been influenced by deep seated faults which form lineaments visible at the surface. The composition of the so-called Caracoles formation at Kari-Kari indicates the caldera may have been filled by a lake for a while. The Lago Chalviri is located within the caldera, at the foot of the dome. Laguna Ulistia is another lake in the caldera.