a stable part of the earth's continental crust or lithosphere that has not been deformed significantly for many millions, even hundreds of millions, of years
shield (sense 7)
Derived forms
cratonic (krəˈtɒnɪk)
adjective
Word origin
C20: from Greek kratos strength
craton in American English
(ˈkreɪtɑn)
noun
a stable, broad, horizontal rock formation of the earth's crust, that is the principal part of acontinent and its continental shelf