Definition
An anticline is a concave (arch) fold structure of rocks in which older rocks occupy the core of the fold, and the anticlinal theory referred to the trapping of petroleum or natural gas in anticlinal structures. In practice, many nineteenth- and early twentieth-century authors would also include other structural features observed in their study areas that controlled hydrocarbon accumulations, including upthrown fault blocks, anticlinal noses, domes, and the fracture systems that were associated with structural deformation.
Introduction
Where gas, oil, and water occur as separate free fluids within a common reservoir, it is generally accepted that they will stack in the same order with depth due to differences in their fluid density. Consequently, the structurally highest portions of a reservoir are the most likely to contain hydrocarbons, and the search for closed highs, on anticlines or upthrown faulted structures, has long been a standard practice in global petroleum...
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Sorenson, R.P. (2020). Anticlinal Theory. In: Sorkhabi, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Petroleum Geoscience. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02330-4_191-1
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