syncline

[ sing-klahyn, sin- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Geology.

syncline

/ ˈsɪŋklaɪn /

See anticline
a downward fold of stratified rock in which the strata slope towards a vertical axis Compare anticline

syncline

/ sĭn′klīn′ /

A fold of rock layers that slope upward on both sides of a common low point. Synclines form when rocks are compressed by plate-tectonic forces. They can be as small as the side of a cliff or as large as an entire valley.
Compare anticline

First recorded in 1870–75; back formation from synclinal

C19: from syn- + Greek klīnein to lean

How does syncline compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

When the arch is reversed, like this , it is called a syncline.

The whole mountain is part of a syncline, the beds dipping into it from the north-west and south-east.

A downfold, where the strata dip from either side toward the axis of the trough, is called a syncline (Fig. 170).

Hence the anticline noses out to the north and the syncline to the south.

In the Bembridge limestone we see the end of the Sandown anticline, and the beginning of the succeeding syncline.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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