Quadrangle maps are always named for a prominent geographic feature on the map–a town, mountain, lake, etc. What feature is the Waynesville Quadrangle named after? (This question is as easy as it seems)
Topographic maps are divided into series. The series is always listed underneath the quadrangle name in the right-hand
corner of the map, and the longitude/latitude coordinates are always labeled at the four corners of the map. Therefore
you can either read the series directly or figure it out by computing the longitude (or latitude) range spanned by the
map. What kind of map series is the Waynesville Quadrangle?
What is the longitude in the northwest corner of the map? (It is W longitude.)
What is the latitude in the southeast corner of the map?
The map scale is always located at the bottom of the map, and is shown as two numbers separated by a colon (:). These
numbers indicate the factor by which objects on the map have been shrunk relative to the real world. For instance, a
scale of 1:62,500 means that objects on the map are 1/62,500 as large as they are in reality.
What is the scale of the Waynesville Quadrangle map?
If you were to print out the Waynesville, OH map, you’d find that the total distance across the map from west to east is
45 cm.
How long is this distance in the real world? Give your answer km.
If you wanted a map that provided great detail, would you rather have a map with a scale of 1:6,000 or a map with a
scale of 1:100,000? Explain your answer.
Many quadrangle maps are needed to cover a large area, and often it is useful to know the maps that are adjacent to
the one you are looking at. The USGS (the government agency that makes the maps) has used two different methods to
display this information. On some maps, the adjoining quadrangles are written along the boundaries and corners of the
map. On some newer maps, a small inset diagram shows the layout and names of the surrounding quadrangles.
What quadrangle adjoins the Waynesville Quadrangle to the east?
What quadrangle adjoins it to the southwest?
Many other features of topographic maps can be simply read by studying the key or map itself:
When was the Waynesville Quadrangle made?
What state is the Waynesville Quadrangle in?
Within what part of this state is the Waynesville Quadrangle located?
(i.e., “north”, “northeast”; “central”, etc.)
In which three counties does
the Waynesville Quadrangle
lie? (look on the map)
The feature that distinguishes a topographic map from other maps is the swarm of brown lines which are used to
indicate elevation. These lines, called contour lines, depict the shape of the landscape.
To make the map easier to read, not all contour lines are labeled with their elevation. Normally every fifth contour line is
labeled and is also printed a little darker than the others to make it stand out. These contour lines are called index
contours. The elevation of contour lines between index contours must be inferred by counting up (or down) from an
index contour using the contour interval.
The elevation of every point on a topographic map can be determined by studying the elevation of the nearby contour
lines. This can sometimes be tricky. If a point actually lies on a contour line, then determining its elevation is easy–it’s
just the elevation of the contour line. If, as is more typical, a point lies between two contour lines then its elevation must
be inferred. When the surrounding contour lines are different (the usual case) the elevation of the point must be
between these values. For example, a point lying between the 50 foot and 60 foot contour lines must be between 50
and 60 feet–say, 52 feet if the point is closer to the 50 foot contour, or 58 feet if it is closer to
the 60 foot contour, or maybe even 55 feet if it is nearly in the middle.
Contour lines that form closed loops enclose eithers hills or depressions. In most cases they
enclose a hill, or rise, since these are much more common features of the landscape. When the
contours enclose a depression they will sometimes have little ‘tick-marks’ on them indicating
the direction downhill.
What is the elevation of the intersection of Oglesby-Harris Rd. and Furnas-Oglesby Rd?
What is the elevation of Stonybrook Farm Lake, southwest of Waynesville?
Locate the depression just east of Corwin, to the east of Sun Ridge Drive. What is the
elevation at the bottom?
Newdale, ID Map
Is the Newdale, ID quadrangle closer to Wyoming or
Washington state?
How many degrees or minutes of latitude/longitude are
spanned by the Newdale, ID topographic map?
What is the map scale?
What is the contour interval in feet?
Find the intersection of 5000N and Reed Parkinson Rd, and
determine its elevation. Be as precise as you can.
Locate Chester Cemetary near the very top of the map, and
determine its elevation. Be as precise as you can.
Find the intersection of Hog Hollow Rd. and N 2800 E. What
is its elevation? Be as precise as you can.
Use the Law of V’s to determine
the direction in which the Teton
River is flowing (east or west).
Make a sketch showing how you
came to this conclusion. You will
have to upload your sketch into
the quiz.
Suppose you were driving west on State Route 33 and
wanted to continue using topographic maps. What
topographic map would you need when you left this one?
Jackson, WY Map
Suppose you wanted to climb Boyles Hill, located in the northern part of the map. Would
it be easier to ascend the northern side or southern side (assuming steeper = harder)?
What is the approximate elevation of the town of Jackson?
Estimate the elevation of the very tip-top of Boyles Hill:
Suppose you were on the top of East Gros Ventre Butte and started
hiking down to the south just south of the word “Butte”. Would
your path be concave up or down? How can you tell?
Concave down Concave up
Calculate the gradient of the Snake River between S and S’, and Flat Creek between F and F’, by dividing the change in
elevation by the length of the stream (straight-line length, not including all the bends). Express your answer in ft/mile.
Distance S-S’: 11,700 feet
Distance F-F’: 8,700 feet
Snake River Flat Creek
Why do you think the
Waynesville, OH,
Newdale, ID, and
Jackson, WY all have
different contour
intervals? How do the
mapmakers decide on a
contour interval?