Anticline — Chambers's Encyclopaedia

A geological cross-section diagram showing two types of rock folding. On the left, labeled 'a', is an anticline where rock layers are folded upwards into a dome shape. On the right, labeled 's', is a syncline where rock layers are folded downwards into a trough shape. The layers are represented by horizontal lines with different patterns and shading to indicate different rock types. — a, Anticline; s, Syncline.

Anticline (Gr. anti, 'against,' klino, 'I bend'), in Geology, applied to strata which are inclined in opposite directions from a common axis—that is, in a roof-like form. Saddleback is another term used for the same structure. Syncline (Gr. syn, 'together,' and klino) is the converse of anticline, and is applied to strata which are inclined in opposite directions towards a common axis. Anticline and synclinal structures have resulted from the lateral compression and consequent folding of formerly horizontal or approximately horizontal strata. See under GEOLOGY.