Final answer:
On a geologic map, a syncline can be identified by the pattern where rock units become progressively younger towards the center, and an anticline shows rock units getting older towards the center, with specific V-shaped patterns indicating the direction of age progression. The correct answer is option 1.
Step-by-step explanation:
On a geologic map, the pattern of a syncline can be distinguished from the pattern of an anticline based on the age of the rock units. In a stratigraphic sequence of folded sedimentary rocks, the rocks get younger towards the center of a syncline and older toward the center of an anticline. This is because synclines typically exhibit a concave shape where the youngest rocks are located in the center, whereas anticlines have convex shapes with the oldest rocks at their core. The limbs of the fold, which represent the least curved areas, dip away from the hi_ge in anticlines and toward the hi_ge in synclines. The rule of V's on geological maps can also help in identifying these features, where the V's point in the direction of the youngest rocks for synclines and the oldest rocks for anticlines.