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craton
(redirected from Cratons)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
cra·ton  (krtn)
n.
A large portion of a continental plate that has been relatively undisturbed since the Precambrian era and includes both shield and platform layers.

[German Kraton, from Greek kratos, power; see kar- in Indo-European roots.]

cra·tonic (kr-tnk) adj.

craton [ˈkreɪtən]
n
(Earth Sciences / Geological Science) Geology a stable part of the earth's continental crust or lithosphere that has not been deformed significantly for many millions, even hundreds of millions, of years See shield [7]
[from Greek kratos strength]
cratonic  [krəˈtɒnɪk] adj

craton  (krtn)
A large portion of a continental plate that has been relatively undisturbed since the Precambrian era and includes both shield and platform layers.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.craton - the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent; typically Precambrian
continent - one of the large landmasses of the earth; "there are seven continents"; "pioneers had to cross the continent on foot"
part, piece - a portion of a natural object; "they analyzed the river into three parts"; "he needed a piece of granite"


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Numerous questions remain, but these less familiar, non-uniformitarian processes explain in part why Archean cratons do not look like modern continental plates, even though many of the second-order processes were similar (e.
Under cratons, however, such zones either did not exist or lay much deeper; the mantle directly under cratons was colder and had a high seismic velocity to depths greater than 200 km.
Archean cratons are the primary host of economic diamond deposits worldwide and Superior, the world's largest craton, has demonstrated its potential for hosting economic diamond deposits through the development of De Beers Canada's Victor Project, where commercial diamond production is anticipated in 2008.
 
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