Mapping

Question 1

What is a great circle?

Answer 1

Any imaginary line that can be drawn on a globe that cuts the Earth into equal halves.

Question 2

How can longitude and latitude be used to determine a location on a map?

Answer 2

Where longitude and latitude lines meet identifies the location.

Question 3

What is a line of longitude?

Answer 3

Degrees assigned to meridians (lines that run from the north pole to the south pole) labeled east or west of the prime meridian.

Question 4

What is the longitude of the Prime Meridian?

Answer 4

0 degrees longitude

Question 5

What is the longitude of the international date line?

Answer 5

180 degrees longitude

Question 6

Why is the international date line a zigzag line?

Answer 6

To keep the day the same within a country

Question 7

What measurement is the equator?

Answer 7

0 degrees latitude

Question 8

What measurement is the north pole?

Answer 8

90 degrees N latitude

Question 9

What measurement is the south pole?

Answer 9

90 degrees S latitude

Question 10

What is a map scale?

Answer 10

Indicates the relationship between distance on land and distance on the map.

Question 11

What is a compass rose?

Answer 11

Indicates the directions North-East-South-West on a map.

Question 12

What types of information can be shown on a map?

Answer 12

Cities, roads, borders, vegetation, land use, population by location, water features, elevation, and important landmarks.

Question 13

What is a contour map?

Answer 13

A map that shows changes in elevation by the spacing of contour lines.

Question 14

What is a contour line?

Answer 14

A line that connects points of equal elevation.

Question 15

What is elevation?

Answer 15

Vertical distance above a reference point, usually sea level.

Question 16

What is relief on a map?

Answer 16

The range in elevation in an area.

Question 17

What do contour lines that form a V-shape indicate?

Answer 17

They indicate a valley. The “V” points upstream.

Question 18

What do hatchure marks indicate?

Answer 18

They are small marks on a contour line that show the direction of lower elevation.

Question 19

How is slope determined on a contour map?

Answer 19

Rise/Run or (Change in Elevation)/map distance

Question 20

Why do airline routes follow great circle lines?

Answer 20

The line formed by a great circle that includes two locations is the shortest distance between those locations.

Question 21

What types of information does GPS provide?

Answer 21

GPS can provide location (latitude, longitude, and altitude), time, and velocity.

Question 22

How many GPS satellites are in Earth orbit to support the sytem?

Answer 22

24 Satellites

Question 23

What is topography?

Answer 23

The size and shape of the land surface.

Question 24

What is a geologic unit?

Answer 24

Rock type of given geologic age

Question 25

How can different rock units be shown on a map?

Answer 25

Unit types are shown by different colors. Unit names are shown by a set of letters.

Question 26

For what purposes are geologic maps and soil maps used?

Answer 26

They are used in agriculture and land managment.

Question 27

What type of map projection is based on a flat sheet of paper wrapped around a globe?

Answer 27

Cylindrical

Question 28

What type of map projection is based on a cone placed on a globe?

Answer 28

Conic

Question 29

What type of map projection uses a flat sheet that touches a globe in one place?

Answer 29

Azimuthal

Question 30

What is a problem of making flat maps from projections?

Answer 30

Not all of the areas are shown at the same scale, and the shapes of some areas are distorted.

Question 31

What are some applications that GPS enhances?

Answer 31

Mapping/Navigation, surveying, Search and Rescue, and Military strikes.

Question 32

What types of information are shown in the Map Key or Map Legend

Answer 32

The meanings of symbols and colors used on the map.

Question 33

What is a contour interval, and how is it determined?

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

What is an index contour line?

Answer 34

It is a darker, labeled contour line used to find the contour interval.

Question 35

Why can contour lines not cross?

Answer 35

A point on land cannot have two different elevations.