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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

cra·ton

Audio Help [krey-ton] Pronunciation Key

–noun Geology.

a relatively rigid and immobile region of continental portions of the earth's crust.

Also called continental shield.

[Origin: 1940–45; < G Kraton, based on Gk krátos power; cf. -cracy, -on²

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
craton

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cra·ton Audio Help (krā'tŏn') Pronunciation Key
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·ton'ic (krə-tŏn'ĭk) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

craton
noun
the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent; typically Precambrian

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

craton Audio Help (krā'tŏn') Pronunciation Key
A large portion of a continental plate that has been relatively undisturbed since the Precambrian era and includes both shield and platform layers.

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