Cratons are generally found in the interiors of continents and are characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement crust of lightweight felsic igneous rock such as granite. They have a thick crust and deep roots that extend into the mantle beneath to depths of 200 km.Click to see full answer. Regarding this, where are cratons found?Having often survived cycles of merging and rifting of continents, cratons are generally found in the interiors of tectonic plates. They are characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock, which may be covered by younger sedimentary rock.Secondly, how many cratons are there in the world? There are ca. 35 large crustal fragments of Archean age around the globe,the Archean cratons (s.s.). These originated from break-up of larger, transient, late Archean landmasses, which we refer to as “supercratons”. Also to know, what is a craton in geography? Craton. geology. Craton, the stable interior portion of a continent characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock. The term craton is used to distinguish such regions from mobile geosynclinal troughs, which are linear belts of sediment accumulations subject to subsidence (i.e., downwarping).What is the difference between a craton shield and platform?-the broad area extending from shield, but covered by younger rocks; a platform and form a carton. SHIELD- a vast area of ancient rocks on a continent; the exposed part of a craton.