Mapping Earth’s Surface Topographic maps and satellite images

How do topographic maps show Earth’s features? A topographic map is a map showing the surface features of an area They provide information on elevation, relief, and slope of the ground How do topographic maps show Earth’s features?

Reading Contour Lines Topographic maps show Earth’s featured by using contour lines and a contour interval A contour line connects points of equal elevation on the map area The change in elevation from one contour line to the next is called the contour interval The contour interval for a given map is always the same

An index contour line is darker than the others, like a bold line

When will I ever use this? You can use a topographic map to identify land features and erosional features To find the elevation of a feature, find the nearest index contour Then, count the number of contour lines up or down to the feature When will I ever use this?

What can the contour lines tell you? Closely spaced contour lines indicate steep slopes Widely spaced contour lines indicate gently slopes or flat land A contour line that forms a loop, with no lines inside it, is a hill or mountain top A closed loop with dashes inside of it indicates a depression, or hollow in the ground What can the contour lines tell you?

How do satellite views show Earth’s features? Satellite views shoe Earth’s land features with a combination of color and shading Shading allows mountains to look like they rise off of the page A lack of shading indicates flat plains How do satellite views show Earth’s features?

Erosional features such as valleys and canyons are shaded darker than the surrounding areas A depositional feature, such as a delta, looks like a bulb at the mouth of the river, emptying into another body of water Erosional Features