Superior Craton

Location of the Superior Craton within North America

The Superior Craton or Superior Province is an Archean craton which forms the core of the Canadian Shield lying north of Lake Superior for which it is named.

The craton extends from northwestern Quebec along the east side of Hudson Bay south through Ontario to the north shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior. It extends across western Ontario south of Hudson Bay and underlies most of southeastern Manitoba. It extends southward through eastern North and South Dakota and western Minnesota.

It is bounded on the west and north by the Proterozoic Trans-Hudson orogen which separates it from the Wyoming, Hearne, Slave, Rae and Nain cratons. On the southeast it is bounded by the Grenville Front and to the south by the Midcontinent Rift System and the Yavapai – Mazatzal terranes.