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. If the ancient rocks are largely overlain by a cover of younger rocks then the 'hidden' craton may be referred to as a platform.

List of shields

List of named cratons

Approximate location of Mesoproterozoic (older than 1.3 Ga) cratons in South America and Africa. The São Luís and Luís Alves cratonic fragments are shown.
Gondwana and the Kuungan orogen

Listed by modern continent and Gondwana, include:

West Gondwana

South America

Africa

Antarctic-East African Orogen

East Gondwana

Indian Subcontinent

Antarctica

Australia

North America

North American cratons and basement rocks
North American Craton
  North American Craton
  Deformed craton
  Accretionary belt

Eurasia

Eastern Eurasia

Northern and Eastern Europe

See also

References

  • Dov Avigad and Zohar Gvirtzman (2009). "Late Neoproterozoic rise and fall of the northern Arabian–Nubian shield: The role of lithospheric mantle delamination and subsequent thermal subsidence" (PDF). Tectonophysics. 477 (3–4): 217–228. Bibcode:2009Tectp.477..217A. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2009.04.018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-09.
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