Craton
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A part of the Earth’s crust that has survived the splitting and merging of continents.
"1988, L. L. Sloss, Chapter 1: Introduction, L. L. Sloss (editor), Sedimentary Cover—North American Craton: U.S., Geological Society of America, The Geology of North America, Volume D-2, page 2, Application of the concept of a craton circumscribed by surrounding miogeosynclines was particularly vexing to stratigraphers whose study areas extended across the line theoretically delineating distinct tectonic terranes."
- 2 the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent; typically Precambrian wordnet
Example
More examples"1988, L. L. Sloss, Chapter 1: Introduction, L. L. Sloss (editor), Sedimentary Cover—North American Craton: U.S., Geological Society of America, The Geology of North America, Volume D-2, page 2, Application of the concept of a craton circumscribed by surrounding miogeosynclines was particularly vexing to stratigraphers whose study areas extended across the line theoretically delineating distinct tectonic terranes."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κράτος (krátos, “strength, might”). Shortened from original cratogen which was analogical to orogen.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.