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Landforms and Typographic Maps

Earth Science - Middle School

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Landforms & Topo graphic Maps plain plateau mountains © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4551 Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources. Photos courtesy of USGS, USFWS, USDA & NPS. Types of Landforms Three major types of landforms are plains, plateaus and mountains. A plain is a large region of nearly flat or gently rolling land with little change in elevation. A plateau is a highly elevated flat region that often contains rivers and streams. Mountains are high elevation landforms with steep slopes. CASCADE RANGE SIE RR A N EV AD A COLORADO PLATEAU OZARK PLATEAU GREAT PLAINS Pacic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Gulf of Mexico CENTRAL LOWLANDS SUPERIOR UPLANDS ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS GULF COAST PLAIN COLUMBIA PLATEAU SNAKE RIVER PLATEA U GREAT BASIN RO CK Y M O UN TA IN S AP PA LA CH IA N M OU NT AI NS AP PA LA CH IA N PL AT EA U PIE DM ON T PL AT EA U AT LA NT IC CO AS TA L PL AI N CO A ST A L RA N G E Coastal plains Interior plains/lowlands Mountains Plateaus/uplands Basins/mountains RRARR PPPERIO U UP U S RRRRRR ERIORRRR RRRAA R U PLATEAU E TE A E A I ATE A ATEA I EA F N U U S U ST PLA E P UPER N L PP AP PA P A P LA P HII AN M T NT S AI N A TETE AI N PL AAATAA N P ATA N UN CH IA N M OU N E AU TAT What is a Topographic Map? A topographic map provides information about the surface features of a particular area. Topographic maps show natural features such as rivers and mountains as well as human-made features like buildings, roads and bridges. The symbols that represent map features are found in the legend. 13500 13000 12500 12500 12000 11500 11000 11000 10000 11000 10000 10500 9500 10500 8500 13000 14000 primary highway secondary highway trail river stream wetlands bridge contour line - elevation Map Symbols Topographic Map Contour Lines Contour lines on a topographic map connect points of equal elevation. An index contour is a darker, heavier line with a marked elevation. The contour interval is the difference in elevation between two contour lines. The relief is the distance between the highest and lowest elevation points on the map. Contour lines never cross. When the lines are spaced close together, the slope is steep. If they are spread apart, the slope is gentle. Contour lines that cross a valley or stream are V-shaped with the V pointing toward the higher elevation. Tops of hills or depressions are shown as closed circles. 11850 contour interval relief highest lowest index contour contour lines steep slope 12250 12000 11750 11500 11000 11000 11250 11000 10500 10750 10750 11000 12500

Pause and Review Identify the parts of the topographic map and answer the questions below. What do contour lines represent? _______________________________________________ What is the contour interval for this map? _______________________________________ What is the highest elevation on the map? _______________________________________ What is the lowest elevation on the map? ________________________________________ What is the map relief? ________________________________________________________ Landforms & Topo graphic Maps © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 94-4551 Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources. index contour contour lines highway trail river stream wetlands bridge contour line Map Symbols steep slope 12750 12650 12550 12550 12450 12250 12350 12050 11850 11750 12250 11950 1215 0 12850

Landforms and Typographic Maps

Earth Science - Middle School

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