Basic Map Knowledge For Orienteering

What is a map? A symbolic picture of an area from up above It usually has a particular point of view, an audience, and a specific purpose

The Map concept View from above Conveys information Represents SOME of the features Those that are navigationally useful

The Map concept Uses a symbolic language – Like Signs – No Parking – Like Sheet Music

Types of Maps Road Maps Park Maps Nautical Aeronautical Cave Battlefield Political Geological

Topographical Maps x

Contours Horizontal Slices through the earth Like a layer cake Shows the lay of the land.

Contour Interval Vertical Distance between contour lines

Map Symbols USGS Maps Orienteering Maps

Map Symbols The symbols, Colors, and shapes are the language of mapping Mapping (Cartography) is both a science and an art – Science – uses agreed upon conventions – Art – allows for style, emphasis, and general differences in maps

Map Colors 5 Colors Yellow Green Brown Blue Black Plus the white of the paper And a course overlay in Red or Purple

White: Open Forest

Yellow: Open Land

Green: Thicker Vegetation

Brown: Shape of the Land Contour lines represent elevation in the landscape.

Blue: Water Features

Black: Man-Made & Rock

Maping Symbols

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Common shapes – Reentrant (v-shape, low ground, points up hill) – Spur (u-shape, high ground) – Ridge – Saddle )( – Knoll enclosed circle: top of a hill just a dot small hill

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Re-entrant probably the most puzzling term encountered by the beginning orienteer kind of valley closed at one end a re-entrant is an "entering" of the land into the hill shallow deep

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Spur Is the opposite of a re-entrant A projection or "nose" rising from the surrounding ground. Description sheet symbol Map symbols

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Ridge The highest point running from knoll to knoll. The best place to travel Easiest running

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Saddle The low point between two higher points.. Description sheet symbol Map symbol

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Hills & knolls Dot knoll: A small obvious mound. Hill: an enclosed contour line. Knoll Map symbols Description sheet symbol Hill Both

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Telling up from down – Closed circles are the tops of hills – Blue lines are steams and are at the bottom of hills. – Reentrants point up from streams to hilltops – Spurs point down from hill to streams and valleys

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Telling up from down The re-entrant and the spurs are very similar. Are they fat spurs and deep reentrants… Or are they wide shallow reentrants with long skinny spurs?

Orienteering Cincinnati, © 2005 Contours Telling up from down You will unusually be able to find a stream and/or a knoll someplace near on the map. The streams are the lowest points. The knolls are the highest. Trace the highs and lows to the area of interest.

Parts of a map Title Scale Legend – key Contour interval Map body Compass rose - N↑ Magnetic north lines at scaled intervals

Additional information on map Location – area map Mapping credits Update info & printing dates Copyrights Contact info Access permissions Logos Additional boiler plate info

Overprint on map Course Description sheet

Scale on Map Common USGS map scales – 1: : : Common orienteering map scales – 1: : : :7500 1:4000 – Nominally called 1:15 1:10 1:5

Scale Compare 2 scales