noun. A large portion of a continental plate that has been relatively undisturbed since the Precambrian Era and includes both shield and platform layers.

noun. A part of the Earth’s crust that has survived the splitting and merging of continents.

noun. the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent; typically Precambrian

"Kimberlite pipes are created when magma bubbles up through a craton, expanding and cooling on its way up."