geosyncline

American  

[jee-oh-sin-klahyn] / ˌdʒi oʊˈsɪn klaɪn /

noun

Geology.

1. a portion of the earth's crust subjected to downward warping during a large span of geologic time; a geosynclinal fold.

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geosyncline British  

/ ˌdʒiːəʊˈsɪŋklaɪn /

noun

1. a broad elongated depression in the earth's crust containing great thicknesses of sediment

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geosyncline Scientific  

/ jē′ō-sĭn′klīn′ /

1. A usually elongate, basinlike depression along the edge of a continent, in which a thick sequence of sediments and volcanic deposits has accumulated.

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Other Word Forms

• geosynclinal adjective

Etymology

Origin of geosyncline

First recorded in 1890–95; geo- + syncline

Example Sentences

The process of converting a geosyncline into a mountain belt was never really adequately explained, although it was widely believed that mountain belts formed when geosynclines were compressed by forces pushing from either side.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

This view incorporated a mechanism for creation of mountain chains known as the geosyncline theory.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The sediments that accumulate within a geosyncline are derived from erosion of the adjacent continent.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Proponents of the geosyncline theory of mountain formation, and there were many well into the 1960s, also had the problem of explaining the intercontinental terrestrial fossil matchups.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Again, the ancient and modern volcanoes and earthquakes of Europe are associated with the geosyncline of the greater Mediterranean, the Tethys of Mesozoic times.

From The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays by Joly, John