Definition of "craton"
craton
noun
plural cratons
A part of the Earth’s crust that has survived the splitting and merging of continents.
Quotations
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.
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
Although cratons are not tectonically active, they can be located near active margins, such as the Brazilian craton at the rear of the Andean active margin.
2008, Nasser Ennih, Jean-Paul Liégeois, The boundaries of the West African craton, with reference to the basement of the Moroccan metacratonic Anti-Atlas belt, N. Ennih, J.-P. Liégeois (editors), The Boundaries of the West African Craton, Geological Society, Special Publication Number 297, page 1