9/12/2023 0 Comments Topographic map contour intervalTry and visualize how the terrain you see relates to the contour lines on your map, use visible features like peaks and passes and try to Identify the subtler features. You can practice reading features from a map of a familiar area. Want to learn more? Practice makes perfect! Pioneers in America also used and created topographic maps as they began to explore more of the country and expand their geographical knowledge of Western America. The United States military followed suit and also used topographic maps for tactical strategies - there was even a “Topographical Bureau of the Army” during the war of 1912. Darker colors mean denser objects, while light or colorless areas suggest open terrain.ĭid you know? One of the first uses of topographic maps was in the eighteenth century when the British military carried out detailed surveys of land. Generally, green symbolizes vegetation (forests, fields) while blue represents water objects (streams, lakes). Start by studying what each line, symbol and color means. Sometimes maps will also have purple features, which represents features added after the creation of the map.īefore use, read closely the map’s legend. For example, brown represents the contours of the land, black shows man-made features such as buildings or roads, and blue shows rivers. Sometimes topographic maps use colors to signify specific features. Maps based on metric units use a scale of 1:25,000, where one centimeter equals 0.25 kilometers. For USGS topographic maps, 1:24,000 is the scale most often used. A larger scale means that a map covers a larger area, but therefore will have less detail. For example, A 1:30,000 scale means one inch equals 30,000 inches in reality. The map’s scale tells you how detailed your map is. With topographic maps, though, the north will always be in the same place – Up. You might know other maps that shift north around in order to make the area presented in it fit better on the page. On a topo map, the north will always be at the top edge of the map. Contour lines are drawn close together on steep ground and farther apart on flat ground.The area inside the circle is almost always higher than the contour line. Contour lines close to form a circle (or run off the side of the map).One side of a contour line is uphill and one is downhill.Every point of the same contour line has the same elevation. During a hike, you can match the landscape around you to its corresponding contours lines on the map in order to keep track of your location.Ĭontour lines of depression (on the right) compared to a regular peak For example, when planning a hike – To the Israel National Trail maybe – you can see the routh you plan to take and immediately understand whether it has hills or cliffs which are too challenging to climb.Ĭontour lines on a topographic map are also important for general navigation. Knowing how to use contour lines on a map is an important skill to have, especially when one is planning a hike of a long trail. When contour lines are wide apart, elevation is changing slowly, indicating a gentle slope. When contour lines are close together (they can never intersect), elevation is changing rapidly in short distances – which means the terrain is steep. To sum it up in one line – the width between contour lines indicates the steepness of a terrain.Ĭontour lines connect points that share the same elevation, meaning we can walk (metaphorically) on a single contour line and always stay on the same height. So what is the difference between a topographic map and a regular one? Basically, a topographic map allows you to see a three-dimensional landscape on a two-dimensional surface, using the concept of Contour Lines. But once you’ve strayed from the road, perhaps on a backpacking trek or hike, you will need to use the terrain and the contours of the land as reference, meaning that you need to be able to read a topographic map. For example, in order to drive from Point A to Point B, a regular road map will be useful. There are different kinds of maps that serve different purposes. These maps depict in detail ground relief (landforms and terrain), drainage (lakes and rivers), forest cover, administrative areas, populated areas, transportation routes and facilities (including roads and railways), and other man-made features.īut what exactly does it mean, how to use a topographic map and how Contour lines describe elevation – Today we will try to answer all of those questions. A topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation).
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