Not only can wind and water erode them from above, but the deepest layers can be removed from below, as is thought to have happened to the North China Craton during the age of dinosaurs.

Yet beneath the American Midwest, seismic data reveals abnormal thinning at the base of the North American craton, indicating deep disturbance. The "droplet" imagery describes a precise physical ...

North America’s geological core has persisted for billions of years—it’s what scientists call a craton, a massive block of continental rock that withstands the natural recycling system of ...

One documented example occurred in the North China Craton’s deepest root layer millions of years ago. However, until recently, scientists hadn’t had a chance to study the process as it happened.

Scientists have discovered that a portion of the North American craton is slowly dripping into Earth's mantle, challenging the idea that these ancient crustal structures are immovable. Seismic ...