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anticline
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Figure 20: The forms of three types of folds. Figure 22: The topographic expressions of eroded anticlines and synclines.
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anticline

geology
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Figure 20: The forms of three types of folds.
Figure 20: The forms of three types of folds.

An anticline is an arch of stratified rock where layers bend downward in opposite directions from the crest. This geological formation is essentially an upfold of strata, appearing as an inverted V-shape on geologic maps. Anticlines are a type of fold, which are undulations or waves in the Earth's crustal rocks that were originally deposited horizontally.123

These structures are significant in geology, particularly in the formation of structural traps for petroleum and natural gas. Approximately 80 percent of the world's petroleum has been discovered in anticlinal traps, which are formed by tectonic events like folding.2

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. anticline
  2. petroleum - Structural traps
  3. fold

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