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North Atlantic Craton

geological region

Quick Summary

The North Atlantic craton is a large, stable geological region composed of ancient crystalline basement rocks. It is a significant part of the Earth's crust, forming the core of continents. This craton is characterized by granulite-gneiss belts, which represent sections of the continental crust that have undergone high-grade metamorphism at deep levels.123

The North Atlantic craton, measuring approximately 1,000 by 2,000 km, was once connected to regions in Scotland, Greenland, and Labrador before the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a complex area where various rock types, including those from oceanic crust, have been folded and deformed multiple times. These cratonic areas are distinct from mobile geosynclinal troughs, which are linear belts of sediment accumulation.31

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