Ch 3.3 Topographic Maps
pgs. 53-57
Topography - _________________________________
Topography includes the natural and human-made features on the land surface.
___________: (buildings, bridges, schools, malls, roads, rock quarries, cities, dams)
__________________: (hills, mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, plains, cliffs)
To show landforms, a map must show the ___________ (highs and lows) of Earth’s
surface. Topographic maps use contour lines to show relief.
_____________________ are narrow brown lines that connect points of equal or
the_______________________. They help us paint a mental picture of the Earth’s
surface features indicating the _________________________.
*Understanding these is the key to reading a topographic Map.
On a topographic map, contour lines have a
constant spacing called the __________________.
On the map to the left, the contour interval is 30m,
meaning that adjacent contour lines are separated
vertically by 30m. The contour interval may vary
from one map to another.
Also notice on the map that not every contour line
is labeled. The ones that are labeled with its
elevation are called ______________________.
They will usually appear bold.
The distance between one contour line and the
next shows you the ____________, or steepness
of the land. If the contour lines are ___________,
the land is relatively ___________. If they are
_______________, it is____________.
Ch 3.3 Understanding Topo. Map Symbols
Contour lines are usually smooth curves, and never join one another.
Contour lines may form __________ or ___________. These indicate
hills or mountains.
In mapmaking, surveyors find the exact elevation of many points in the
map area. These may be shown on the map as a ____________ shown by
the symbol ____________.
When contour lines _____________, they become _____________and
the tip points upstream. (The river flows out the wide part of the “V”)
___________in the landscape, such as a sinkhole or a volcanic
crater, are shown by closed contour lines with tiny lines
pointing in toward the center.
A _____is shown by contour lines that appear to run
together. Showing a very dramatic vertical change in
elevation.
Topographic maps have a special kind of compass rose that
shows the magnetic declination of the area pictured. Compasses
will point to magnetic north, not to true north.
The _________________ ________________is the angle by
which a compass needle will vary from true north.