North American craton 2005

World - Continents

North America - Countries

Central America and the Caribbean, North America

Guadeloupe, North America

Guatemala, North America

Martinique, North America

Mexico, North America

Panama, North America

Saint Barthélemy, North America

Saint Martin, North America

Guadalajara Map

Mexico City Map

Monterrey Map

North American craton 2005.
The brown area shows the part of the North American continent that has been stable for over 600 million years. This region is made up of a basement older Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rock that is mostly covered by a relatively thin cover of younger sedimentary rock. Geologists call these long-stable continental cores cratons.

The green area on the illustration shows new continental material that was added relatively recently, within the last 600 million years or so. Continents can grow when two plates collide, welding, or accreting, the two pieces together. Continents also grow when oceanic crust is scraped off oceanic plates as they sink in subduction zones.

The purple area fringing the stable continental core is made up of older Precambrian basement that was deformed during plate collisions that occurred within the last 600 million years. The force of collision produced great folds and faults that sometimes penetrated deep into the continental interior. Where the crust was uplifted, these folds and faults are exposed at the surface, allowing geologists to piece together the ancient history of our continent.
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North America - Categories of Maps

North American craton 2005 - Related Maps

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North america basement rocks 2005	Soil characterization of North America	Actual tectonic structure of North America
The North America Tapestry of Time and Terrain	Structural Geology of North America 2003	Volcanic rocks of North America 2003
Sedimentary rocks of North America 2003	Metamorphic rocks of North America 2003	Plutonic rocks of North America 2003
North America tectonic and bathymetric map	Wisconsin glaciation	Vegetation of North America

[1] :: 2

North America - Countries

Central America and the Caribbean, North America	Guadeloupe, North America	Guatemala, North America
Martinique, North America	Mexico, North America	Panama, North America
Saint Barthélemy, North America	Saint Martin, North America