craton

noun

: 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
cratonic
krə-ˈtä-nik How to pronounce craton (audio)
krā-
kra-
adjective

Examples of craton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The best place to look for ancient craters is in regions of the Earth known as cratons—large, geologically stable stretches that have changed little over time. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024 The evidence was found in marine sedimentary rocks from the Franceville Basin near Gabon in Central Africa, which experienced an episode of underwater volcanic activity from two Precambrian continents, or cratons, colliding 2.1 billion years ago, according to the study. Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 29 July 2024 Sale of 'Apex' renews debate The two Precambrian cratons examined in the study are the Congo and São Francisco cratons, which were stable Archaean blocks that were once part of a single landmass in central Africa and eastern Brazil, according to Fru. Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 29 July 2024 Some older rocks still survive in cratons, stable portions of continental crust that haven´t changed much over time. Big Think, 17 June 2024 The churning mantle can cause ripples at the craton’s base, setting off eruptions over tens of millions of years, helping explain why many kimberlites seem to migrate toward continental interiors over such a long time. Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 26 July 2023 The loss of the thick keel from a continent’s craton could have caused the land to bob upward like a buoy, wreaking havoc at the surface in a cascade of impacts that the team is still studying. Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 26 July 2023 Unlike the volcanoes that more commonly pop up near the thinner edges of continents, the eruptions that produced most kimberlites came through the thick, stable continental cores known as cratons. Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 26 July 2023 The Kaapvaal craton is the closest ancient continental crust to the Southwest Indian Ridge. Theo Nicitopoulos, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'craton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

German Kraton, modification of Greek kratos strength — more at hard

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of craton was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near craton

Cite this Entry

“Craton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/craton. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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