How To Label Contour Lines On A Topographic Map

In the example below weve added labels and it should be clear that its a depression. And how to draw contour lines.

Terminology Used In This Article Index Contour Lines Thick Lines

Display the images of topographic or contour maps.

How to label contour lines on a topographic map. Point out the flattest and steepest areas on the crater lake map. But you can see it gets to be a bit messy what with all those numbers. We call that the contour interval abbreviated ci then all we do is label every fifth contour starting with the zero contour.

Contour lines are often represented by many individual line features in a gis which can result in many more labels being placed than necessary. What do contour lines on a topographic map show. So if you walked along any contour line on a topographic map you would remain at the same elevation the entire time.

Topographic maps identify terrain and elevation with the use of contour lines. Labeling using the contour placement style. Every fifth contour line is a thicker index lineat some point along that line its exact elevation is listed.

To avoid this problem line features that represent contours can be treated as special types of line features. Make sure students understand that contour maps though 2 dimensional use contour lines to show elevation above sea level. To make topographic maps easier to read every fifth contour line is an index contour.

Because its impractical to mark the elevation of every contour line on the map the index contour lines are the only ones labeled. The change in elevation from one contour line to the next is always the same within the same mapmany maps have either a 40 or 80 foot contour interval. Essentially topographic maps represent the three dimensional landscape of earth within the two dimensional space of a map.

A map with contour lines on it is called a topographic map. A contour is a line that connects points of equal elevation. However if you begin to cross over contour lines you are either gaining or losing.

To add single contour labels click annotate tab labels tables panel add labels menu surface contour single. Select the contour to label. Show students map images and introduce the activity.

You dont really know unless there is a label on the contour line. Select the contours to label by specifying the start and end points of the contour label line. We also make the labeled lines heavier.

How to label a contour line to show its elevation using civil 3d. Instead of labeling every line we can let everyone know the vertical distance between the contour lines. Topographic maps use a combination of colors shading and contour lines to represent changes in elevation and terrain shape.

The index contours are a darker or wider brown line in comparison to the regular contour lines. An 80 foot interval simply means that each contour line is 80 vertical feet away from. Which trail would you take.

Topographic Maps Topo Maps And Contour Lines Introduction