I. Latitude and Longitude

• Map - ! _______________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Latitude - ! ____________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Also called _________________________

• These lines _________________________ intersect

• Equator - ! ____________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• The North Pole is __________ north latitude

• The South Pole is __________ south latitude

Leigh-Manuell - "1

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

Name: ___________________________________________ Mapping the EarthDate: __________________________ Period: ___________ The Physical Setting: Earth Science

• Finding your latitude

• The altitude (angle) of Polaris is equal to your latitude

Longitude - ! _________________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Also called _________________________

• Prime Meridian - ! ______________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• The Prime meridian is __________ longitude

• The International Date Line is __________ east or west of the Prime Meridian

Leigh-Manuell - "2

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

• Combine latitude and longitude to get a coordinate

• Be sure you include direction with both latitude and longitude

• Example: 20º 30’ ______ and 75º 30’ ______

• Subdivisions of Latitude and Longitude

• One degree is divided into ____________________ (60’)

• One minute can be divided into ____________________ (60”)

• Time Zones

• Earth’s ____________________ is the basis for local time

• The Earth rotates ____________________ in 24 hours

• Earth rotates on an imaginary axis at ____________________

• Earth is divided into _________ (15º) time zones

• Each time zone is _________ hour different

• Each time zone covers _________ of longitude

• There are _________ time zones in the United States

Leigh-Manuell - "3

Latitude Longitude

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

II. Field Maps

• Field - ! _______________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Example: _________________________________

• Isolines - ! ____________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Example: _________________________________

• Points represent values of data found at a specific location

• To construct a field map connect the points of equal data

• Do not connect every value… just whole numbers

• Isolines form complete circles or end at the edge of the map

Temperature Values in the United States

Leigh-Manuell - "4

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

• Different Types of Isoline

• Isotherm - lines that connect equal points of ! _______________________________________

• Isohyet - lines that connect equal points of ! _________________________________________

• Isobar - lines that connect equal points of ! _________________________________________

• Contour Line - lines that connect equal points of ! ____________________________________

• Gradient (slope) - ! _____________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

Leigh-Manuell - "5

Gradient = 18 inches - 6 inches 30 miles

Gradient = 12 inches 30 miles

Gradient = 0.4 inches/mile

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

Gradient = change in field value change in distance

New York Snowfall Amounts [inches]

III. Topographic Maps

• Topographic Maps (contour maps) - ! _____________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Topographic maps show three-dimensional shapes in two dimensions

• Elevation - ! ___________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Examples: mountains, hills, lakes, and rivers

• Natural Features - ! _____________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Examples: mountains, hills, lakes, and rivers

• Cultural Features - ! ____________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Examples: roads, cities, buildings, and dams

• Contour Lines - ! _______________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Contour Interval - ! _____________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• The contour interval is usually found on the map key and legend

• Index Contour - ! _______________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Gentle Slope - when contour lines are spaced _________________ apart

• Steep Slope - when contour lines are spaced _________________ together

• When contour lines cross a river they bend ________________________

• Note: rivers flow the opposite direction the contour lines point

• Benchmark - ! _________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Labelled on a map as BM.X.

Leigh-Manuell - "6

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

• Depression Contours - ! _________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• This allows you to distinguish a hill from a hole

• Calculating the Highest Point:

1. ! _____________________________________________________________________________

2. ! _____________________________________________________________________________

3. ! _____________________________________________________________________________

• Contour Line Rules:

1. Contour lines close around hills, basins, and depressions or extend the edge of the map

2. Contour line _________________________ cross

3. Contour lines form V’s that point _________________________ whenever crossing a stream

Leigh-Manuell - "7

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

Steep Slope

Contour Index

Gentle Slope

Contour Interval

Contour Line

Natural Feature

Depression Contour

• Topographic Profile - ! __________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Creating a Topographic Profile:

1. ! ___________________________________________________________________________

! ___________________________________________________________________________

2. Transfer the points from the map to the horizontal grid

3. Connect the points with a ______________________ line to draw a profile

Leigh-Manuell - "8

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

60 ft

50 ft

40 ft

30 ft

20 ft

10 ft

0 ft X

X

X

X

X

X X

X

X

X

X

X

IV. NYS Landscapes

• New York State contains many different landscape regions characterized by different elevations and various rock types

• High Elevations: ! ____________________________________________________________

• Medium Elevations: ! _________________________________________________________

• Low Elevations: ! _____________________________________________________________

• Atlantic Coastal Plain - landscape region formed during the Cretaceous and Pleistocene

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• Manhattan Prong - landscape region formed during the Cambrian and Ordovician

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• Hudson Highlands / Taconic Mountains - landscape region formed during the middle of the Pro-terozoic

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• Hudson / Mohawk Lowlands - landscape region formed during the Ordovician

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• Adirondack Mountains - landscape region formed during the middle of the Proterozoic Cambrian

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

Leigh-Manuell - "9

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

• Tug Hill Plateau - landscape region formed during the Ordovician

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• Erie-Ontario Lowlands - landscape region formed during the Silurian

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• St. Lawrence Lowlands - landscape region formed during the Ordovician and Cambrain

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

• Allegheny Plateau / Catskills - landscape region formed during the Devonian

• Composition: ! _______________________________________________________________

• Elevation: ! __________________________________________________________________

Leigh-Manuell - "10

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth

IV. Quadrangle Maps

• Quadrangle - ! _________________________________________________________________________

! _____________________________________________________________________________________

• Published at various scales depending on the size of the area mapped

• The best known USGS maps are of the ! ____________________________________________

• Standard Quadrangle Map

• 7.5 x 7.5 minutes

• Covers an area of __________ to __________ square miles

• Map scales are 1:24,000 (one inch on the map equals 24,000 inches on the ground)

• Paper size (approx.) 22” x 27”

• Contours and elevations are shown in ______________

• 1º x 2º Quadrangle Map

• Covers an area of _______________ to _______________ square miles

• Map scales are 1:250,000 (one inch on the map equals 250,000 inches on the ground)

• The USGS completed mapping of the entire country at a 1:24,000 scale in the late 1980’s

Leigh-Manuell - "11

Class Notes: Mapping the Earth