Chapter Introduction
Lesson 1
Maps
Lesson 2
Technology
and
Mapmaking
Chapter Wrap-Up
How are Earth’s
surface features
measured and
modeled?
What do you think?
Before you begin, decide if you agree or
disagree with each of these statements.
As you view this presentation, see if you
change your mind about any of the
statements.
Do you agree or disagree?
1. Maps help determine locations on
Earth.
2. All Earth models are spherical.
3. World maps are drawn accurately for
every location.
Do you agree or disagree?
4. Topographic maps show changes in
surface elevations.
5. The colors on geological maps show
the colors of the surface rocks.
6. Satellites are far too far from Earth to
collect useful information about Earth’s
surface.
Maps
• How can a map help determine a
location?
• Why are there different map
projections for representing Earth’s
surface?
Maps
• map view
• longitude
• profile view
• latitude
• map legend
• time zone
• map scale
• International
Date Line
Understanding Maps
• A map is a model of Earth.
• Most maps are drawn in map view—
drawn as if you were looking down on
an area from above Earth’s surface.
• Map view is also known as plan view.
• A profile view is a drawing showing a
vertical “slice” through the ground.
Understanding Maps (cont.)
Maps have two features to help you read
and understand the map: a series of
symbols called a map legend, and a
ratio, which establishes the map scale.
Understanding Maps (cont.)
A map legend is a key that lists all the
symbols used on the map that help you
interpret the symbols.
map legend
Understanding Maps (cont.)
legend
Science Use part of a map that
explains the map symbols
Common Use a story coming
down from the past
Understanding Maps (cont.)
Model builders typically use scale to
make the model measurements accurate
to the measurements of the real object.
Understanding Maps (cont.)
A map scale is the relationship between
a distance on the map and the actual
distance on the ground.
Reading Maps
• Long ago, mapmakers created a grid
system of two sets of imaginary lines,
called longitude and latitude, which
encircle Earth.
• Mapmakers started the grid system
with a vertical line that circled Earth
and passes through the North Pole and
the South Pole.
Reading Maps (cont.)
• The half of this vertical circle that
passes through Greenwich, England, is
known as the prime meridian.
• The other half of this vertical circle is
the 180° meridian.
Reading Maps (cont.)
Similar circles are drawn at every degree
east and west of the prime meridian.
These lines are referred to as lines of
longitude.
longitude
from Latin longitudo, means
“length”
Reading Maps (cont.)
• A location’s longitude is the distance
in degrees east or west of the prime
meridian.
• The prime meridian and the 180°
meridian divide Earth into the Eastern
Hemisphere and the Western
Hemisphere.
Reading Maps (cont.)
The lines east of the
prime meridian are
called east
longitude, and the
lines west of the
prime meridian are
called west
longitude.
Reading Maps (cont.)
• Mapmakers also drew horizontal lines
from east to west around Earth. The
equator is the center and largest circle
of these horizontal lines.
• The equator divides
Earth into the
Northern Hemisphere
and the Southern
Hemisphere.
Reading Maps (cont.)
• Parallel circles are drawn at every
degree north and south of the equator.
These lines are referred to as lines of
latitude.
• The North Pole and the South Pole are
each indicated by a dot at 90° N and
90° S.
• A location’s latitude is the distance in
degrees north or south of the equator.
Reading Maps (cont.)
Together, longitude and latitude are used
to pinpoint a location on Earth.
Reading Maps (cont.)
What relationship do lines of
longitude and lines of latitude
have?
Plotting Locations
• Any location on Earth can be described
by the intersection of the closest line of
latitude and the closest line of
longitude.
• Because longitude and latitude lines
are far apart, we divide each degree
into 60 minutes (') and each minute into
60 seconds (") to help pinpoint
locations.
Plotting Locations (cont.)
How do latitude and longitude
describe a location on Earth?
Time Zones
• Time zones were created to make
travel and doing business easier for
everyone.
• A time zone is the area on Earth’s
surface between two meridians where
people use the same time.
Time Zones (cont.)
The width of a time zone is 15° longitude,
but they are sometimes altered at
political boundaries.
Time Zones (cont.)
• The International Date Line is the line
of longitude 180° east or west of the
prime meridian.
• When you cross the date line from east
to west, it is a day later.
• The International Date Line does not
follow the 180° meridian exactly,
because some island groups would be
divided by the line.
Map Projections
• One way to transfer features from a
globe to a flat map is to make a
projection.
• There are two types of projections that
can be used to transfer features from a
globe to a flat map: cylindrical
projections and conical projections.
Map Projections (cont.)
Both cylindrical and conical projections
result in some distortion.
Map Projections (cont.)
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of cylindrical
projections and conical
projections?
• Finding locations on a map or a globe
can be done accurately by using grid
lines called longitude and latitude.
• Different projections
offer different solutions
to the distortion
problem of transferring
three dimensions into
two dimensions.
Which of these describes a view
drawn as if you were looking down
on an area from above Earth’s
surface?
A. earth view
C. aerial view
B. legend view
D. map view
What do model builders use to
make model measurements
accurate to the measurements of
the real object?
A. size
C. scale
B. weight
D. legend
Which of these terms refers to the
distance in degrees north or
south of the equator?
A. longitude
B. latitude
C. scale
D. ratio
Do you agree or disagree?
1. Maps help determine locations on
Earth.
2. All Earth models are spherical.
3. World maps are drawn accurately for
every location.
Technology and Mapmaking
• What can a topographic map tell you
about the shape of the Earth’s surface?
• What can you learn from geologic maps
about the rocks near Earth’s surface?
• How can modern technology be used in
map making?
Technology and Mapmaking
• topographic map
• slope
• elevation
• geologic map
• relief
• cross section
• contour line
• remote sensing
• contour interval
Types of Maps
A topographic map shows the detailed
shapes of Earth’s surface, along with its
natural and human-made features.
topography
from Greek topos, means “place”;
and graphein, means “to write”
Types of Maps (cont.)
A topographic map helps give you a
picture of what the landscape looks like
without seeing it.
Robert Glusic/Getty Images
Types of Maps (cont.)
• The height above sea level of any point
on Earth’s surface is its elevation.
• The difference in elevation between the
highest and lowest point in an area is
called relief.
Types of Maps (cont.)
Contour lines are lines on a topographic
map that connect points of equal
elevation.
Types of Maps (cont.)
• The elevation difference between
contours that are next to each other is
called the contour interval.
• Slope is a measure of the steepness of
the land.
Types of Maps (cont.)
• If the contours are spaced far apart,
the slope is gradual or flat, but if the
contours are close together, the slope
is steep.
• The information contour lines provide
on a topographic map can be used to
draw an accurate profile of the
topography.
Types of Maps (cont.)
What can you learn about the
features at Earth’s surface
from studying contour lines?
Types of Maps (cont.)
• Geologic maps show the surface
geology of the mapped area and may
include rock types, their ages, and
locations of faults.
• On a geologic map, different colors
represent different geologic formations.
• A geologic formation is a volume of a
particular kind of rock.
Geologic Map
Types of Maps (cont.)
A cross section is
a diagram showing
a vertical slice
through the rocks
below the surface.
Types of Maps (cont.)
How is color used in a
geologic map?
Making Maps Today
• Mapmakers and explorers first used
instruments such as a compass, a
telescope, or a sextant.
• Today, mapmakers use computers and
data from satellites to make maps.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
The Global Positioning
System (GPS) is a
group of 24 satellites
orbiting Earth used
for navigation.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
• The signals relayed by GPS satellites
are used to calculate the distance to the
satellite based on the average time of
the signal.
• GPS is used by mapmakers to
accurately locate reference points.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
How can GPS technology be
used in mapmaking?
Making Maps Today (cont.)
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
are computerized information systems
used to store and analyze map data.
• GIS creates different map layers of the
same location using database view,
map view, and model view.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
GIS combine data
collected from many
different sources,
including satellites,
scanners, and aerial
photographs.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
• Remote sensing is the process of
collecting information about an area
without coming into physical contact
with it.
• Remote sensing produces maps that
show detailed information about
agriculture, forestry, geology, land use,
and many other subjects.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
• Satellite images of a location made at
different times can be used to study
change.
• Monitoring change with remote sensing
allows mapmakers to quickly make
maps of areas affected by natural
disasters.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
How can remote sensing be
an advantage to mapmakers?
Making Maps Today (cont.)
• Several different remote sensing
systems are currently used to map
Earth’s surface.
• Landsat 7 is a group of satellites that
completes a scan of Earth’s entire
surface every 16 days.
Making Maps Today (cont.)
• A pair of satellites—TOPEX and its
successor, Jason-1—have been used
to determine ocean topography,
circulation, sea level, tides, and now
climate change.
• A device that uses sonar to map the
bottom of the ocean is called Sea
Beam.
• Topographic maps use contour lines
to help describe the elevation and
relief of the surface of Earth at that
spot.
• Geologic maps are useful in
determining the kind of rocks, the
age of rocks, and the formations they
are found in for an area.
What is the height above sea level
of any point on Earth’s surface
called?
A. slope
B. contour interval
C. elevation
D. cross section
Which diagram shows a vertical
slice through the rocks below the
Earth’s surface?
A. geologic map
B. cross section
C. contour line
D. topographic map
Which term refers to the process
of collecting information about an
area without coming into physical
contact with it?
A. navigation
B. mapping
C. modeling
D. remote sensing
Do you agree or disagree?
4. Topographic maps show changes in
surface elevations.
5. The colors on geologic maps show the
colors of the surface rocks.
6. Satellites are too far from Earth to
collect useful information about Earth’s
surface.
Key Concept Summary
Interactive Concept Map
Chapter Review
Standardized Test Practice
Earth’s features are
measured using
remote sensing,
primarily from
satellites.
Earth’s features are
modeled through map
projections,
topographic maps,
and geologic maps.
Lesson 1: Maps
• A globe represents Earth’s surface without
distortion.
• Maps contain information, such
as legends with identifying
symbols, and latitude and
longitude to determine location.
• Map projections distort Earth’s
features.
Lesson 2: Technology and Map
Making
• Topographic maps show elevation through contour
lines.
• Geologic maps contain information
about rocks such as rock types,
rock age, and faults.
• GPS, GIS, and remote sensing
are used to check locations, take
aerial photographs and images,
and layer items to produce more
accurate maps.
Which of these refers to the
distance in degrees east or west
of the prime meridian?
A. latitude
B. longitude
C. scale
D. time zone
What is the name for the line of
longitude 180° east or west of the
prime meridian?
A. time zone
B. equator
C. International Date Line
D. degree
What is the difference in elevation
between the highest and lowest
point in an area is called?
A. slope
B. topography
C. relief
D. elevation
What feature of a topographic
map connects points of equal
elevation?
A. contour lines
B. cross sections
C. contour intervals
D. geologic maps
Which term refers to the elevation
difference between contours that
are next to each other?
A. slope
B. contour interval
C. steepness
D. relief
Which term refers to the key that
lists all the symbols used on the
map to help you interpret the
symbols?
A. map key
B. map scale
C. profile view
D. map legend
What is the center line of
latitude?
A. prime meridian
B. longitude
C. equator
D. legend
The area on Earth’s surface
between two meridians where
people use the same time is which
of these?
A. a time zone
B. the International Date Line
C. the Northern Hemisphere
D. the prime meridian
Which term is a measure of the
steepness of land?
A. contour
B. slope
C. elevation
D. topography
Which term refers to the elevation
difference between contours that
are next to each other?
A. the Geographic Information
System
B. sonar
C. the Global Positioning System
D. the contour interval