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1. How do contour lines show elevation, slope, and relief?
2. Why do contour lines never cross on a topographic map?
4. For an area with gently sloping hills and little relief, would you draw contour lines close together or far apart? Explain why.
Answers:
1. The numbers on the contour lines show elevation. The distance between contour lines shows slope. The differences between high and low places show relief
2. Each one represents a specific elevation. Closed circles represent high and low points; contour intervals are always the same for any given map.
4. far apart; the changes in elevation are gradual

2. Unit 2: Earth’s Surface Chapter 5: Views of Earth Today
Chapter 6: Minerals and Rocks
Chapter 7: Erosion and Depositio

3. Chapter 5: Views of Earth today Modern technology has changed the way we view and map Earth
5.1: Maps and globes are models of Earth
5.2: Topographic maps show the shape of the land
5.3: Technology is used to map Earth

4. 5.2: Topographic maps show the shape of the land
Before, you learned:
Different maps provide information about natural and human- made features
Latitude and longitude are used to find places on Earth
All flat maps distort Earth’s surface
Now, you will learn:
How contour lines show elevation, slope, and relief
What rules contour lines follow
What common symbols are used on topographic maps

5. Topographic maps use contour line to show features
Simple trail maps do not show you anything about what the land looks like – rivers, hills, valleys?
Topography – the shape, or features, of the land
Can be natural: mountains, plateaus, plains
Can be human-made: dams, roads
Topographic map: a flat map that uses lines to show Earth’s surface features
contour lines show…
Distance, elevation, slope, relief

6. Topographic maps use contour line to show features
Elevation: how high above sea level a place is
Can be a few meters to several thousand meters above sea level
Contour line numbers show elevation
Slope: how steep a landform or area is
the more gradual the slope, the farther apart the contour lines
The steeper the slope, the closer together they are
Relief: difference between the area’s highest and lowest points
Subtract the lowest elevation on a map from the highest

9. Contour lines follow certain rules
Lines never cross – because each line shows an exact elevation
Circles show highest and lowest points
lines form closed circles around mountain tops and hilltops, and also depressions (sunken areas in the group)
Sometimes the elevation of the mountain or hill will be written in the middle of the circle

10. Contour lines follow certain rules
Contour interval is always the same on a map
Contour interval: the difference in elevation from one contour line to the next
This means the change in elevation between contour lines is always the same
Can differ from map to map
Index contour lines mark elevations
The darker contour lines on a map are “index contour lines”
The lines where numbers showing elevation are often marked
Not all lines are marked – to determine elevation, count the number of lines from a numbered/index line, and multiply by the contour interval

12. Topographic Maps…
Also contain symbols for natural and human-made features
Cover urban, rural, and wilderness areas
Are useful for hikers, campers, engineers, archaeologists, forest rangers, biologists, and others…

13. What could this be?

14. The contour lines are very close together, indicating an extremely steep slope that rises from 4500 feet to 5100 feet - that is about 2 football fields standing on end.A perfect bulls-eye shape is created, indicating a circular mountain.The open center circle inside the 5100 contour line indicates that the top of the mountain is a flat plateau. This topgraphic map is of Devil's Tower which is the photo in the lower right.

15. Contour Map
Match the contour line drawing in the PHOTO column with the corresponding contour line image in the TOPO column.
Hint #1: The Arrow in the TOPO images point downhill.
Hint #2: Don't get frustrated with the answers. A couple are very similar.