anticline
AN-tih-klyn
An upward arch in rock strata — the shape that traps oil, creates ridges, and gives the landscape its long, whale-backed swells. The counterpart to syncline. Together they're the earth's breathing — one rises, the other sinks.
Etymology
Greek anti (against, opposite) + klinein (to lean). Leaning against the prevailing direction — the arch that bows upward.
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