TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

AND
TOPOGRAPHIC PROFILES
CLOSER CONTOUR LINES =
STEEPER GRADIENT
TOPOGRAPHIC
MAPS WOULD
BE VERY
CLUTTERED IF
ALL CONTOUR
LINES WERE
LABELED, SO
ONLY HEAVIER
LINES SHOW
LABELS
What is the pattern of the contour lines
around a simple hill?

Concentric
circles
getting
smaller -
hill
Identify the features marked at A and B
Hachure contour lines (lines
with tick marks) show
20 20
depressions – the first hachure 10
is equal to the last contour line
passed
WHAT DOES THIS PROFILE
SHOW?

VOLCANO
NOTICE HACHURE
DEPRESSION LINES IN
CENTER SHOWING
VOLCANIC VENT
 TOPOGRAPHIC PROFILES
• TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS SHOW THE
ELEVATION OR VERTICAL
DISTANCE ABOVE SEA LEVEL OF
THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH

• TOPOGRAPHIC PROFILE IS A SIDE

VIEW OF AN AREA.
So, if we were to look at a profile
view of line AB on our
topographic map, what might we
expect to see? Predictions?

Time to FIND OUT!

Step 2
Make the X-axis exactly as long as line AB. Label it as “distance”
Next, decide what the HIGHEST and LOWEST elevation values
are that line AB crosses on your topographic map and create a
scale. You may wish to increase your scale by the contour interval
on the map to make things easier. In this case, we are going up by
10’s, because our contour interval on the map is 10 meters.
Hold your scrap paper page up to the profile.
Transfer the tick marks directly onto the profile.
This is what you might expect
the “profile” or cross section
view of line AB to look like!
Does it make sense? SURE! There is a creek flowing through this
region. Think about where it would flow on your profile. We also
recognize the V shaped contour lines that indicate the direction of
water flow.
 Contour lines point upstream
Stream flows in opposite direction
from high elevation to low elevation

INSTEA
D OF A
CHEESY
SAYING
CONTOUR LINES BEND WHEN CROSS STREAMS
UPSIDE DOWN V’S POINT UPSTREAM
STREAMS FLOW DOWN
Or… if you are lucky enough to be
able to do your profile on the same
page as the topographic map…

You can use the:

“Drop down a dotted line”
method!
Same
idea, but
no need
for tick
marks
and scrap
paper!