{{short description|Spatial entity with common geologic attributes}} {{World geologic provinces}} {{More footnotes|date=May 2014}}
A '''geologic province''' or '''geological province''' is a spatial entity with common geologic attributes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geologic Province and Thermo-Tectonic Age Maps |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/structure/crust/maps.php |website=Earthquake Hazards Program |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=6 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607001305/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/structure/crust/maps.php |archive-date=7 June 2014 }}</ref> A province may include a single dominant structural element such as a basin or a fold belt, or a number of contiguous related elements. Adjoining provinces may be similar in structure but be considered separate due to differing histories.
== Geologic provinces by origin == {| class="wikitable" |- ! Province !! Definition !! Subcategories !! Examples |- | Shield || Exposed Precambrian crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks that form tectonically stable areas || || *Arabian-Nubian Shield *Canadian Shield |- | Platform || Horizontal or gently-lying sedimentary strata covering a basement of igneous or metamorphic rocks || *Carbonate platform || *East European Platform |- | Orogen || Linear or arc-shaped formation where continental crust has been folded, deformed and uplifted to form mountain ranges || *Island arc *Continental arc *Forearc || *Laramide Orogeny *Andean Orogeny |- | Basin || Low-lying formation of rock strata formed by tectonic warping of previously horizontal strata || *Cratonic basin *Foredeep basin *Sedimentary basin || *Illinois Basin *Paraná Basin |- | Large igneous province || Accumulation of igneous rocks, including liquid rock (intrusive) or volcanic rock formations (extrusive) || || *North Atlantic Igneous Province *Columbia River Basalt Group |- | Extended crust || Continental crust thinned due to extensional strain || *Passive margin *Rift || *Basin and Range Province *Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province |}
==Geologic provinces by resources== [[File:Us coal regions 1996.png|300px|thumb|right|US coal regions and provinces.]] Some studies classify provinces based upon mineral resources, such as mineral deposits. There are a particularly large number of provinces identified worldwide for petroleum and other mineral fuels, such as the Niger Delta petroleum province.
==See also== * Physiographic province * Geomorphology * United States Geological Survey
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20061001035907/http://gcmd.nasa.gov/records/GCMD_GEO_CORNELL_WR_PROVINCES.html Geologic Province Map of the World] (NASA) *[https://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/crust/definitions.html Definitions for the Geologic Provinces] (USGS) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140607010159/http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/province/ Geologic Provinces of the United States: Records of an Active Earth] (USGS)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geologic Province}} Category:Geologic provinces {{Geology-stub}}