How Do You Read A Topographic Map

To read topographic maps you can assess the contour lines as well as the colors and symbols on the map. Topographic maps go further giving you the power to visualize three dimensional terrain from a flat piece of paper. The feature that makes this possible is contour lines.

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Reading A Topographic Map

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The scale on any topographic map will tell you how many miles or fractions of a mile one inch represents.

How do you read a topographic map. Contour lines indicate the steepness of terrain. First look for the map s scale which will let you know how much detail the map contains. Note the contour lines on the map. Scale of topographic maps if you have a paper map the scale is easy to understand.

To read the contour lines on a map first note the direction your map faces. These lines connect points of equal elevation. To read a topographic map you need to understand the representations of the many circles and lines scrawled all over the terrain. Typically the usgs maps have a scale at the bottom and you can use that measurement on the map to calculate the distance between two points.

You can then orient yourself using the map so you do not get lost or turned around. A topographic map can be easy to read once you know the details. Method 1 assessing the contour lines. In a nutshell topographic maps allow you to see a three dimensional landscape on a two dimensional surface.

These maps show the land s contours elevations mountains valleys bodies of water vegetation and more. This contour and elevation inf ormation distinguishes them from other maps. The smaller the scale the more detail the map has. Most maps are oriented with north at the top of the map.

Some lines will have the recorded elevation written in the line. Reading and interpreting contour lines may seem intimidating at first but it s actually quite simple and is a valuable skill for learning to how to read a topographic map.