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Glite Dictionary
anticline

anticline

1 8.9
A fold in rock layers forming an arch with oldest rocks in the middle, often containing oil or gas
  • noun
  • /ˈæntɪˌklaɪn/
  • Specialized
: anticlinal
  • The Pinedale anticline is an important geological feature that traps significant oil reserves.
  • anticline area

Examples

  • Geologists study the anticline to understand how the oldest rocks are located at its center.

  • The salt also squeezed through fault lines in the rock, producing salt anticlines.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The anticline runs right through here.

    Boom Town (1940)

  • Anticline Capital Partners.

    Thoroughbreds (2018)

  • A broad and gentle elongated anticline, the Limestone Ridge Anticline, forms the crest of Marble Plateau.

    Blog text (1)

  • A broad and gentle elongated anticline, the Limestone Ridge Anticline, forms the crest of Marble Plateau.

    Blog text (1)

  • A generalized section of the Vendian of the Ura Upland; B general map of the Ura Anticline, the studied section is shown as a dark square and is indicated by an arrow; C geological map.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Exploratory drilling has revealed that the anticline contains layers of rock that are rich in natural gas.

Surface Forms

anticline singular
anticlines plural

Morphology

anticline = cline (opaque) = anti + cline

Although the word is formed from the recognizable prefix 'anti-' and the base 'cline', the geological meaning 'upward arch in rock layers' is not transparently predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

The word anticline breaks down into anti- meaning 'opposite' and cline meaning 'to lean', and it is related to the everyday word incline. An anticline is a fold in rock that leans up into an arch, so the oldest rocks are in the middle and the arch can trap oil or gas.