310 BRAZIL Palaeoproterozoic accretions, are the portions of the Precambrian basement that were unaffected by the Brasiliano orogenies Their boundaries are defined by the deformation styles of Neoproterozoic cover strata, patterns of geophysical anomalies, and geochronological data Accordingly, the cratons of Brazil are bounded on all sides by Brasiliano basementinvolved fold–thrust belts, but contain Brasiliano thin-skinned foreland fold–thrust belts In this regard they differ from similar features delimited on other continents The cratons of Brazil do, however, exhibit the typical attributes of their equivalents worldwide, such as mantle roots, low heat-flow values, and high lithospheric strength Sa˜o Francisco Craton A map view of the Sa˜ o Francisco Craton shows a shape that resembles a horse’s head, with the northern segment merging with the east coast of Brazil (Figure 5) Except for the Atlantic coast, the Sa˜ o Figure Simplified geological map of the Sa˜o Francisco Craton showing the distribution of the major lithostratigraphical units