Mapping Flashcards
To review vocabulary associated with maps and geologic maps
What is a great circle?
Any imaginary line that can be drawn on a globe that cuts the Earth into equal halves.
How can longitude and latitude be used to determine a location on a map?
Where longitude and latitude lines meet identifies the location.
What is a line of longitude?
Degrees assigned to meridians (lines that run from the north pole to the south pole) labeled east or west of the prime meridian.
What is the longitude of the Prime Meridian?
0 degrees longitude
What is the longitude of the international date line?
180 degrees longitude
Why is the international date line a zigzag line?
To keep the day the same within a country
What measurement is the equator?
0 degrees latitude
What measurement is the north pole?
90 degrees N latitude
What measurement is the south pole?
90 degrees S latitude
What is a map scale?
Indicates the relationship between distance on land and distance on the map.
What is a compass rose?
Indicates the directions North-East-South-West on a map.
What types of information can be shown on a map?
Cities, roads, borders, vegetation, land use, population by location, water features, elevation, and important landmarks.
What is a contour map?
A map that shows changes in elevation by the spacing of contour lines.
What is a contour line?
A line that connects points of equal elevation.
What is elevation?
Vertical distance above a reference point, usually sea level.
What is relief on a map?
The range in elevation in an area.
What do contour lines that form a V-shape indicate?
They indicate a valley. The āVā points upstream.
What do hatchure marks indicate?
They are small marks on a contour line that show the direction of lower elevation.
How is slope determined on a contour map?
Rise/Run or (Change in Elevation)/map distance
Why do airline routes follow great circle lines?
The line formed by a great circle that includes two locations is the shortest distance between those locations.
What types of information does GPS provide?
GPS can provide location (latitude, longitude, and altitude), time, and velocity.
How many GPS satellites are in Earth orbit to support the sytem?
24 Satellites
What is topography?
The size and shape of the land surface.
What is a geologic unit?
Rock type of given geologic age
How can different rock units be shown on a map?
Unit types are shown by different colors. Unit names are shown by a set of letters.
For what purposes are geologic maps and soil maps used?
They are used in agriculture and land managment.
What type of map projection is based on a flat sheet of paper wrapped around a globe?
Cylindrical
What type of map projection is based on a cone placed on a globe?
Conic
What type of map projection uses a flat sheet that touches a globe in one place?
Azimuthal
What is a problem of making flat maps from projections?
Not all of the areas are shown at the same scale, and the shapes of some areas are distorted.
What are some applications that GPS enhances?
Mapping/Navigation, surveying, Search and Rescue, and Military strikes.
What types of information are shown in the Map Key or Map Legend
The meanings of symbols and colors used on the map.
What is a contour interval, and how is it determined?
The contour interval is the spacing between contour lines. It is found by finding the difference between adjacent index contours, then dividing by the number of contour lines between adjacent index contours.
What is an index contour line?
It is a darker, labeled contour line used to find the contour interval.
Why can contour lines not cross?
A point on land cannot have two different elevations.
