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Shield identification and geology

A large area of exposed Precambrian crystalline basement rock forming the stable core of a continent—the surface expression of a craton where the ancient rocks have not been covered by younger sedimentary sequences. Shields are generally flat to gently rolling landscapes of very old often 2.5 billion years , highly metamorphosed and deformed igneous and metamorphic rocks. Field: structural geology. Example: The Canadian Shield is the largest exposed shield in the world, covering approximately 8 million km² across central and eastern Canada, and hosting major mineral deposits of gold, nickel, copper, diamonds, and uranium.. Related terms: Craton, Platform, Precambrian, Basement.

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Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.096023+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Shield mean in geology?
A large area of exposed Precambrian crystalline basement rock forming the stable core of a continent—the surface expression of a craton where the ancient rocks have not been covered by younger sedimentary sequences. Shields are generally flat to gently rolling landscapes of very old often 2.5 billion years , highly metamorphosed and deformed igneous and metamorphic rocks.
What is an example of Shield?
The Canadian Shield is the largest exposed shield in the world, covering approximately 8 million km² across central and eastern Canada, and hosting major mineral deposits of gold, nickel, copper, diamonds, and uranium.
Which earth-science field uses the term Shield?
Shield is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Shield?
Related terms in this reference are Craton, Platform, Precambrian, Basement.

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