1. Taxonomy
A very interesting Taxonomy for Land and Water Features (Taxonomy is the
process or system of describing the way in which different things are related
by putting them in groups). Ignore the esoteric gobbledegook text and focus
only on the charts of terms. You will know most of these terms for land and
water, but seeing them altogether is enlightening. Spanish has more terms
for water than English, so if anyone in the class is fluent in Spanish, please
feel free to provide the rest of us with parallel Spanish terms and names for
land and water we have no words for in English.
2. Simple Contour Intervals and Gradients
A Simple Exercise for Contour Lines from Elevation Data.
This simple but mind engaging exercise gets to a quick understanding of
contour intervals and gradients. Print this page then draw contour lines at
intervals of 10 meters, starting with 60, then 70, 80, 90, etc. I urge you to
take 5 minutes to try this and see how fast you imbed the concept of contour
intervals and gradients.
3. Real Contour Intervals and Gradients
This is a shaded-relief map of the area surrounding Mt. Rainier.
Figure 1
1
An enlargement of this shaded-relief map.
Figure 2
This is a topographic map of Mt. Rainier.
Figure 3
2
An enlargement of Mt. Rainier’s topographic map.
Figure 4
Note on this topographic map that there is an interval difference of 200 ft. between
each dark line. These “closed” circles are called contour lines and the elevation
above sea level is the same anywhere along that line, no matter how much it wiggles
or varies. What then is the interval difference between each “lighter” line?
Why would it be correct to say that the highest point near “C” of Cascade Range
is higher than 14,400 feet?
Yes. The highest point of Mt. Rainier is higher than 14, 400 feet, but less than 14,
440 feet – otherwise there would be another contour interval.
ANSWERS
The interval distance between each “lighter” line is 40 feet.
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