Topographic Maps
LAB #2
Score:
Name:_________________________________ Period:__________
Partner’s Name: __________________________________________
Purpose:
To apply and use knowledge of contour lines, elevation, distance, and direction in order to analyze a
local topographic map and create a landscape profile.
Follow the directions and answer the questions as you come to them. Put a check mark
beside the numbers once you have read and completed that direction.
1. You should have a map on the right side of the screen and a panel on the left showing the
names of the map layers. All of the layers are selected right now.
2. The title of the map is on the top left hand corner of the map border. What is the name of the
map you are viewing?
3. Zoom up to the top left corner of the map.
What is the latitude?
What is the longitude?
4. Go to the “Tools” menu, “Select & Zoom”, and “Hand Tool”. This will enable you to drag the
map instead of using the scroll bars.
5. Navigate to the bottom left corner of the map.
What is the latitude?
What is the longitude?
6. What is the name of the pond in the southwest corner of the map?
7. What is the scale of the map?
8. What is the contour interval of the map, and what does this mean?
9. Expand all of the Layer folders by clicking on the + signs beside the layer names.
10. Open ALL of the folders by clicking all of the + signs.
o Under the “Projection and Grid” folder, deselect “Grid Lines”.
o Deselect Hydrography and Contours.
11. Find Staunton River Middle School on the map. (hint: it is on Rt. 24)
Zoom in to 600%
12. Find the latitude and longitude of SRMS using the Geospatial Location Tool.
- Go to Tools > Analysis > Geospatial Location Tool
- Click on the building, and you should see the latitude and longitude in a little box.
- What is the latitude and longitude to the nearest hundredth?
SRMS Latitude:_________________
SRMS Longitude:_____________________
13. Deselect the “Orthoimage” layer.
14. Enable the Hydrography and Contours layers.
15. There is a stream northwest of the school. In what compass direction is it flowing?
16. Zoom out to 300%.
17. Find Holdren’s Pond.
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What is the elevation of the peak of the mountain just southeast of the pond?
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What is the elevation of Holdren’s Pond?
18. What is the contour interval of the THICK LINES?
19. Scroll down to the large body of water in the southern portion of the map.
-
What is the name of the body of water?
-
What is the elevation of the lake?
20. Zoom out to 50%.
- Describe the elevation change around bodies of water compared to the rest of the
landscape.
21. Which mountain reaches a higher elevation, Board Mountain or Mead Mountain?
22. Which side of Board Mountain is the steepest?
23. What is the elevation of the intersection of Meador Spur Rd. and Rt. 24?
Hint: use contour interval!
24. Manually change the zoom level to 100%.
25. Navigate to the map scale. Put your paper up to the scale and mark dashes for every 1 km.
Mark 3 kilometers. Label the scale on your paper.
26. Navigate to Mead Mountain.
What is the direction and distance from SRMS to Mead Mountain?
27. Manually change the zoom level to 250%. Make sure this is EXACT!!
28. Unselect the “Geographic Names” Layer.
29. Go to Tools > Select and Zoom > Snapshot Tool.
-
This gives you the ability to copy sections of the map to your clipboard.
30. Using the snapshot tool, draw a rectangle around Mead Mountain so that the top of the
rectangle touches the top of the map, without overlapping it, and there is a pond in the
bottom left corner and the top right corner.
31. It should have highlighted this rectangle, and once you let go, it took a “snapshot”.
32. Go to the file that you renamed earlier. Place your curser at the end of the word “of” in the
title. Press ENTER.
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Right click, and Paste. This should have pasted your snapshot to the file.
33. Complete the title of page by typing in the name of the Quadrangle, and then type the contour
interval in to the blank near the scale. Do not change anything else.
34. There is a line at the top of the page with two circles at either end. Drag the line so that it
intersects the top of Mead Mountain.
You may change the angle of your line, but you MAY NOT change the length of it.
If you would like to change the angle, simply measure the length using a piece of paper, and
then drag one end to change the angle, then re-measure the line with your paper, so that it
matches the original length.
35. See Ms. Bresnahan before you print!