What are the six rules for reading a topographic map?
Terms in this set (6) Rule 1: Slope The closer the lines are, the steeper the slope Rule 2: Flow and Source of a River/Stream Rule 3: Mountains and Hills Rule 4: Highest possible elevation of a hill/mountain Rule 5: Depressions Rule 6: Lowest possible elevation of a depression
What is the easiest way to read a topographic map?
A topographic map can be easy to read once you know the details First, look for the map’s scale, which will let you know how much detail the map contains The scale on any topographic map will tell you how many miles, or fractions of a mile, one inch represents The smaller the scale, the more detail the map has
What do the numbers mean on topo maps?
It is found in the top right hand corner of the map (Fig The next thing that you should notice on a topographical map are the numbers running all around the outside of the map These numbers represent two grid systems that can be used to find your exact location The first is called latitude and longitude
What is Rule #2 when reading a topographic map?
Rule 1 – every point of a contour line has the same elevation Rule 2 – contour lines separate uphill from downhill Rule 3 – contour lines do not touch or cross each other except at a cliff
What do hash marks on a topographic map mean?
A depression or hollow where the elevation drops and is surrounded by higher terrain will be marked by closed irregular contours with hash marks on the line The markings point inward from the edge and indicate that the area inside is lower These areas will appear to have a crater or bowl shape
How do you read a mountain map?
How To Read A Topographic Map While On The Trail Step 1: Orient Your Map Using your compass and the map’s north arrow, orient your map Step 2: Find Your Location on the Map Step 3: Read the Contour Lines Step 4: Identify the Landscape Features on Your Topographical Map
How do you read a topographic survey?
How to read a topographic map The closer together the contour lines, the steeper the slope The further apart the contour lines, the gentler the slope If you see contour lines that form a V pointing uphill, you’re looking at a valley If you see contour lines that form a V pointing downhill, you’re looking at a ridge
How do you read slope on a topographic map?
To find the slope of a feature, the horizontal distance (run) as well as the vertical distance (rise) between two points on a line parallel to the feature need to be determined The slope is obtained by dividing the rise over run Multiply this ratio by 100 to express slope as a percentage
What is the scale of most USGS maps?
75-minute maps The best known USGS maps are those of the 75-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangle series A scale of 1:25,000 is used for maps based on metric units (1 centimeter = 025 kilometer)
What are the symbols on a topographic map?
Topographic Map Legend and Symbols Brown lines – contours (note that intervals vary) Black lines – roads, railroads, trails, and boundaries Red lines – survey lines (township, range, and section lines) Blue areas – streams and solid is for larger bodies of water Green areas – vegetation, typically trees or dense foliage
What do USGS do?
What Do We Do As the Nation’s largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides science about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems
How do you read a topographic map for kids?
Try this: If you put your finger on a contour line and follow it around the map, every place your finger is touching is that same elevation Topographers make reading maps even easier by adding numbers right next to certain lines Say you’re observing a contour line and the number 12,500 is right on top of it
What does green mean on a topographic map?
BROWN -Contour lines and elevation numbers GREEN -Vegetation features WHITE -Sparse or no vegetation Basically, white indicates any landscape feature except for trees or water – including desert, grass, sand, rocks, boulders, and so on PURPLE -Denotes revisions that have been made to a map using aerial photos
What are the 5 Rules of contour lines?
Rule 1 – every point of a contour line has the same elevation Rule 2 – contour lines separate uphill from downhill Rule 3 – contour lines do not touch or cross each other except at a cliff Rule 4 – every 5th contour line is darker in color
How do you read elevation contour lines?
You can figure out the elevation of any point by finding the nearest labeled line, counting the number of lines above or below it, multiplying by the contour interval, and adding or subtracting the result from the nearest marked contour line The more closely spaced the contour lines, the steeper the slope
What are the black dots on a topo map?
The colors of the lines usually indicate similar classes of information: topographic contours (brown); lakes, streams, irrigation ditches, and other hydrographic features (blue); land grids and important roads (red); and other roads and trails, railroads, boundaries, and other cultural features (black)
What does Brown lines mean on a topographic map?
Such maps show the elevation of mountains and valleys with contour lines, with the elevation differences represented by light brown lines illustrating the height of the land above sea level
What will a hill look like on a topographic map?
Concentric circles indicate a hill When contour lines form closed loops all together in the same area, this is a hill The smallest loops are the higher elevations and the larger loops are downhill
Where do parallels and meridians run on most maps?
Parallels on maps are the lines you see that are from left to right The lines that run from top to bottom are meridians
How do you read a physical map?
It shows: – the height (elevation) of the land; – the location of cities, borders, mountains; – the depth of the sea; – the location of rivers and lakes You can also see lines of longitude and lines of latitude Every map has got a title