A craton (/ ˈ k r eɪ t ɒ n / KRAYT-on, / ˈ k r æ t ɒ n / KRAT-on, or / ˈ k r eɪ t ən / KRAY-tən; [1] [2] [3] from Ancient Greek: κράτος kratos "strength") is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere, which consists of Earth's two topmost layers, the crust and the uppermost mantle.

Craton, the stable interior portion of a continent characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock. The term craton is used to distinguish such regions from mobile geosynclinal troughs, which are linear belts of sediment accumulations subject …

A craton is an ancient part of the Earth's continental crust which has been more or less stable since Precambrian times. Cratons whose ancient rocks are widely exposed at the surface, often with relatively subdued relief, are known as shields.

A craton is a large, coherent domain of Earth's continental crust that has attained and maintained long-term stability, having undergone little internal deformation, except perhaps near its margins due to interaction with neighbouring terranes.

The term craton is used to distinguish the stable portion of the continental crust from regions that are more geologically active and unstable.

Mar 25, 2021 · Deciphering this evidence reveals information about the origins of plate tectonics, which are closely related to craton formation, as well as about the conditions that favor life on the planet.

Aug 11, 2021 · Key to craton development is how and when the thick strong mantle roots that underlie these regions formed and evolved.

Feb 15, 2021 · A craton is a part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent. The craton region of North America includes the region between the Rocky Mountains (to the west) and the Appalachian Mountains (to the east) and include the Canadian Shield.

May 29, 2018 · The North American Craton, Laurentia, which constitutes much of North America, formed by the assembly of smaller cratons in the Archean and Paleoproterozoic. Cratons are surrounded by orogenic (mountain building) or mobile …

The meaning of CRATON is a stable relatively immobile area of the earth's crust that forms the nuclear mass of a continent or the central basin of an ocean.