Plural of anticline; upward-curving rock formations shaped like an upside-down U where the oldest rocks are in the center.
From 'anti-' (opposite) + 'cline' (slope). The term was developed by geologists studying mountain formation and rock layer deformation in the 19th century.
When you see a mountain range, you're often looking at anticlines—the dramatic folded rock layers are basically the Earth's way of piling up layers like you might scrunch up a piece of paper.
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