syncline
Americannoun
noun
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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.
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Compare anticline
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of syncline
First recorded in 1870–75; back formation from synclinal
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A synform has the shape of a syncline but like an antiform, does not have distinguishable age zones.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017
If it were a syncline, the arrows would point towards the line.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
If we know that the folded beds have not been overturned, then we can use the more specific terms: anticline and syncline.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
An upward fold is called an anticline, while a downward fold is called a syncline.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
Thus we find that the ocean floor is depressed into a syncline along the western coast of South America; a trough always parallel to the ranges of the Andes.
From The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays by Joly, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
