Next up is Lauren Wratchford on Comparative Structural Mapping of Highlands on Venus and Cratons on Earth.
#LPSCHaiku
Cratons and highlands
Shared structures, shared formation
Twins, Earth and Venus.
Abstract 2689: www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lps...
#LPSC2025
#LPSCHaiku
Cratons and highlands
Shared structures, shared formation
Twins, Earth and Venus.
Abstract 2689: www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lps...
#LPSC2025
March 12, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Next up is Lauren Wratchford on Comparative Structural Mapping of Highlands on Venus and Cratons on Earth.
#LPSCHaiku
Cratons and highlands
Shared structures, shared formation
Twins, Earth and Venus.
Abstract 2689: www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lps...
#LPSC2025
#LPSCHaiku
Cratons and highlands
Shared structures, shared formation
Twins, Earth and Venus.
Abstract 2689: www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lps...
#LPSC2025
What's a Larentia? Or a Gondwana?
Earth's continents are really giant combinations of blocks of truly ancient, low density crust called cratons and younger rims. These cratons have had different configurations.
Earth's continents are really giant combinations of blocks of truly ancient, low density crust called cratons and younger rims. These cratons have had different configurations.
January 26, 2025 at 10:56 PM
What's a Larentia? Or a Gondwana?
Earth's continents are really giant combinations of blocks of truly ancient, low density crust called cratons and younger rims. These cratons have had different configurations.
Earth's continents are really giant combinations of blocks of truly ancient, low density crust called cratons and younger rims. These cratons have had different configurations.
THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE I STARTED WRITING ABOUT CRATONS
May 3, 2026 at 3:47 PM
THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE I STARTED WRITING ABOUT CRATONS
fucking cratons, how do they work
Insane Clown Posse Juggalos
ALT: Insane Clown Posse Juggalos
static.klipy.com
August 13, 2026 at 12:17 AM
fucking cratons, how do they work
1. Complex life evolves on Earth circa 1 Ga
2. Develops space travel
3. Draws notice of Galactic Xenophobe Empire
4. Galactic Superweapon strips lowly Earth down to the cratons
5. Puny humans wonder what happened
2. Develops space travel
3. Draws notice of Galactic Xenophobe Empire
4. Galactic Superweapon strips lowly Earth down to the cratons
5. Puny humans wonder what happened
April 19, 2026 at 6:07 PM
1. Complex life evolves on Earth circa 1 Ga
2. Develops space travel
3. Draws notice of Galactic Xenophobe Empire
4. Galactic Superweapon strips lowly Earth down to the cratons
5. Puny humans wonder what happened
2. Develops space travel
3. Draws notice of Galactic Xenophobe Empire
4. Galactic Superweapon strips lowly Earth down to the cratons
5. Puny humans wonder what happened
This is fundamental for geology, and terrestrial habitability. Climate caused cratons:
"Generation of sedimentary rocks enriched in heat-producing elements...resolves a long-standing question of why many cratons were stabilized in the Neoarchaean period"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪 ⚒️ #Geology
"Generation of sedimentary rocks enriched in heat-producing elements...resolves a long-standing question of why many cratons were stabilized in the Neoarchaean period"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪 ⚒️ #Geology
Subaerial weathering drove stabilization of continents - Nature
The geological histories of Archaean regions indicate that stabilization of the Earth’s continents and the formation of cratons was driven by continental emergence and subaerial weathering.
www.nature.com
May 12, 2024 at 10:00 PM
This is fundamental for geology, and terrestrial habitability. Climate caused cratons:
"Generation of sedimentary rocks enriched in heat-producing elements...resolves a long-standing question of why many cratons were stabilized in the Neoarchaean period"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪 ⚒️ #Geology
"Generation of sedimentary rocks enriched in heat-producing elements...resolves a long-standing question of why many cratons were stabilized in the Neoarchaean period"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪 ⚒️ #Geology
great cratons think alike ⛰️🤝🏔️
February 4, 2026 at 1:25 PM
great cratons think alike ⛰️🤝🏔️
An important thing that I suspect most non-geo people don't get: Today's continents didn't exist prior to the breakup of Pangea.
The constituent parts (different cratons and terranes) have been mixed into very different configurations throughout geologic history.
The constituent parts (different cratons and terranes) have been mixed into very different configurations throughout geologic history.
January 3, 2025 at 8:22 PM
An important thing that I suspect most non-geo people don't get: Today's continents didn't exist prior to the breakup of Pangea.
The constituent parts (different cratons and terranes) have been mixed into very different configurations throughout geologic history.
The constituent parts (different cratons and terranes) have been mixed into very different configurations throughout geologic history.
It's probably significant that in the two places with the best tomographically imaged cratons (North America and South America), the upper mantle and transition zone are absolutely loaded with random chunks of material with high seismic wave speeds. Most of these are *clearly* not slabs.
March 19, 2025 at 6:24 PM
It's probably significant that in the two places with the best tomographically imaged cratons (North America and South America), the upper mantle and transition zone are absolutely loaded with random chunks of material with high seismic wave speeds. Most of these are *clearly* not slabs.
"There is a backstop—the craton, that ancient unbudgeable mass at the center of the continent—and, sooner or later, North America will rebound like a spring."
Cratons have on relationship whatsoever to subduction zone earthquakes. The coupling & warping of the upper plate is limited to the forearc
Cratons have on relationship whatsoever to subduction zone earthquakes. The coupling & warping of the upper plate is limited to the forearc
June 18, 2026 at 5:34 AM
"There is a backstop—the craton, that ancient unbudgeable mass at the center of the continent—and, sooner or later, North America will rebound like a spring."
Cratons have on relationship whatsoever to subduction zone earthquakes. The coupling & warping of the upper plate is limited to the forearc
Cratons have on relationship whatsoever to subduction zone earthquakes. The coupling & warping of the upper plate is limited to the forearc
About 1.1 billion years ago, tectonic forces nearly split North America from Kansas to Michigan. Though the rift failed, it left a deep scar beneath the Midwest that helps scientists understand how continents evolve.
🧪🌋⚒️
#Cratons
#PlateTectonics
#Precambrian
#StructuralGeology
🧪🌋⚒️
#Cratons
#PlateTectonics
#Precambrian
#StructuralGeology
North America's 'broken heart': The billion-year-old scar from when the continent nearly ripped apart
The Midcontinent Rift is a giant tear that formed in what is now the U.S. Midwest 1.1 billion years ago. Nicknamed North America's "broken heart," it is filled with solidified magma and lava.
www.livescience.com
May 24, 2025 at 2:05 AM
About 1.1 billion years ago, tectonic forces nearly split North America from Kansas to Michigan. Though the rift failed, it left a deep scar beneath the Midwest that helps scientists understand how continents evolve.
🧪🌋⚒️
#Cratons
#PlateTectonics
#Precambrian
#StructuralGeology
🧪🌋⚒️
#Cratons
#PlateTectonics
#Precambrian
#StructuralGeology
since this is the internet i should point out that this is a joke and i am not stupid
November 5, 2024 at 1:12 PM
since this is the internet i should point out that this is a joke and i am not stupid
The #Craton Enigma - Scientists Propose a New #Continental #Formation Theory
-
tinyurl.com/4pypzb6x
-
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
-
#GIS #spatial #mapping #geology #structuralgeology #cratons #planetary #evolution #platetectonics #earth #structure #weathering #erosion #water #Archaean #lithosphere
-
tinyurl.com/4pypzb6x
-
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
-
#GIS #spatial #mapping #geology #structuralgeology #cratons #planetary #evolution #platetectonics #earth #structure #weathering #erosion #water #Archaean #lithosphere
May 13, 2024 at 8:44 PM
The #Craton Enigma - Scientists Propose a New #Continental #Formation Theory
-
tinyurl.com/4pypzb6x
-
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
-
#GIS #spatial #mapping #geology #structuralgeology #cratons #planetary #evolution #platetectonics #earth #structure #weathering #erosion #water #Archaean #lithosphere
-
tinyurl.com/4pypzb6x
-
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
-
#GIS #spatial #mapping #geology #structuralgeology #cratons #planetary #evolution #platetectonics #earth #structure #weathering #erosion #water #Archaean #lithosphere
Flexure and rebound related to subduction zones doesn't extent much past that.
The closest part of the North American craton is in Wyoming. Cratons are important, we think, for how fold-thrust belts related basins evolve, but have nothing directly to do with the subduction zones.
The closest part of the North American craton is in Wyoming. Cratons are important, we think, for how fold-thrust belts related basins evolve, but have nothing directly to do with the subduction zones.
June 18, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Flexure and rebound related to subduction zones doesn't extent much past that.
The closest part of the North American craton is in Wyoming. Cratons are important, we think, for how fold-thrust belts related basins evolve, but have nothing directly to do with the subduction zones.
The closest part of the North American craton is in Wyoming. Cratons are important, we think, for how fold-thrust belts related basins evolve, but have nothing directly to do with the subduction zones.
Productive birthday day at #AGU24! Today was a day full of cratons, delamination, and rifts — oh my!
Now I’m fully saturated with science on the metro home. Off to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow 😅
Now I’m fully saturated with science on the metro home. Off to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow 😅
December 10, 2024 at 11:03 PM
Productive birthday day at #AGU24! Today was a day full of cratons, delamination, and rifts — oh my!
Now I’m fully saturated with science on the metro home. Off to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow 😅
Now I’m fully saturated with science on the metro home. Off to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow 😅
The Diamond’s Birth: Deep Beneath the Earth’s Surface.
👇read👇
👇read👇
Why Diamonds Are Found Only in Specific Parts of the World -
Discover why diamonds are found in only a few places on Earth, from ancient cratons to kimberlite pipes, and the science behind their formation.
lovirae.com
January 27, 2025 at 4:47 PM
The Diamond’s Birth: Deep Beneath the Earth’s Surface.
👇read👇
👇read👇
*atmospheric dark ambient music plays*
Very nicely put. I sometimes think of the precambrian cratons and eroded mountain cores as the shells and teeth of the first earth, poking up through the skin of the younger surface.
Very nicely put. I sometimes think of the precambrian cratons and eroded mountain cores as the shells and teeth of the first earth, poking up through the skin of the younger surface.
August 14, 2026 at 1:01 PM
*atmospheric dark ambient music plays*
Very nicely put. I sometimes think of the precambrian cratons and eroded mountain cores as the shells and teeth of the first earth, poking up through the skin of the younger surface.
Very nicely put. I sometimes think of the precambrian cratons and eroded mountain cores as the shells and teeth of the first earth, poking up through the skin of the younger surface.
Wait, what? Croutons causing COVID, sure, but cratons?
May 9, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Wait, what? Croutons causing COVID, sure, but cratons?
There are some questions we all find ourselves asking at one point or another:
"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
"Where is that large automobile?"
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"
And, of course: "Cratons, Why Are You Still Here?"
eos.org/features/cra...
"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
"Where is that large automobile?"
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"
And, of course: "Cratons, Why Are You Still Here?"
eos.org/features/cra...
Cratons, Why Are You Still Here? - Eos
How have these continental relics from Earth’s early history survived the plate tectonic mixing machine?
eos.org
February 11, 2026 at 4:21 PM
There are some questions we all find ourselves asking at one point or another:
"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
"Where is that large automobile?"
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"
And, of course: "Cratons, Why Are You Still Here?"
eos.org/features/cra...
"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
"Where is that large automobile?"
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"
And, of course: "Cratons, Why Are You Still Here?"
eos.org/features/cra...
If I'd been talking about Cratons we would have scored there that's my bad that's on me gimmie a second...
May 3, 2026 at 3:59 PM
If I'd been talking about Cratons we would have scored there that's my bad that's on me gimmie a second...
New paper alert!
I am starting to be an expert in Mongolian geology without being ever there. And this is a problem, I want to get rocks from Mongolia!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I am starting to be an expert in Mongolian geology without being ever there. And this is a problem, I want to get rocks from Mongolia!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Tectono-magmatic evolution of the Mongolian Collage with new evidence from the Ereendavaa Block
The Central Asian Orogenic Belt, situated between the Siberian, Tarim, and North China cratons, contains three major collages, including the Mongolian…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 16, 2025 at 8:24 AM
New paper alert!
I am starting to be an expert in Mongolian geology without being ever there. And this is a problem, I want to get rocks from Mongolia!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I am starting to be an expert in Mongolian geology without being ever there. And this is a problem, I want to get rocks from Mongolia!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
...which is very not how it works. 🙂
Cratons (like the Canadian Shield) are trickier things than we thought they were even 10-ish years ago.
Cratons (like the Canadian Shield) are trickier things than we thought they were even 10-ish years ago.
August 7, 2026 at 12:56 AM
...which is very not how it works. 🙂
Cratons (like the Canadian Shield) are trickier things than we thought they were even 10-ish years ago.
Cratons (like the Canadian Shield) are trickier things than we thought they were even 10-ish years ago.
Nearly as bad/good as the "cratons caused covid" paper from a few years ago.
May 9, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Nearly as bad/good as the "cratons caused covid" paper from a few years ago.
Really cool co-author paper out today in EPSL, led by Eric Vandenburg. Linking lithospheric thickness, Rb-Sr ages and archean craton stability in the Pilbara craton.
The stability of cratons is controlled by lithospheric thickness, as evidenced by Rb-Sr overprint ag...
The ancient cores of modern continents, cratons, are the oldest blocks of “stable” lithosphere on Earth. Their long-term survival relies on the resist…
t.co
September 27, 2023 at 11:18 AM
Really cool co-author paper out today in EPSL, led by Eric Vandenburg. Linking lithospheric thickness, Rb-Sr ages and archean craton stability in the Pilbara craton.
For scifi including this theme, check out Annalee Newitz’s The Terraformers, a time travel story featuring cratons
November 11, 2025 at 5:42 PM
For scifi including this theme, check out Annalee Newitz’s The Terraformers, a time travel story featuring cratons