How To Label Contour Lines On A Topographic Map

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. Select the contours to label by specifying the start and end points of the contour label line.

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To make topographic maps easier to read every fifth contour line is an index contour.

How to label contour lines on a topographic map. So if you walked along any contour line on a topographic map you would remain at the same elevation the entire time. Labeling using the contour placement style. What do contour lines on a topographic map show.

Instead of labeling every line we can let everyone know the vertical distance between the contour lines. But you can see it gets to be a bit messy what with all those numbers. In the example below weve added labels and it should be clear that its a depression.

To add single contour labels click annotate tab labels tables panel add labels menu surface contour single. Every fifth contour line is a thicker index lineat some point along that line its exact elevation is listed. We also make the labeled lines heavier.

Show students map images and introduce the activity. An 80 foot interval simply means that each contour line is 80 vertical feet away from. Topographic maps use a combination of colors shading and contour lines to represent changes in elevation and terrain shape.

Contour lines are often represented by many individual line features in a gis which can result in many more labels being placed than necessary. We call that the contour interval abbreviated ci then all we do is label every fifth contour starting with the zero contour. Select the contour to label.

Display the images of topographic or contour maps. Essentially topographic maps represent the three dimensional landscape of earth within the two dimensional space of a map. However if you begin to cross over contour lines you are either gaining or losing.

A contour is a line that connects points of equal elevation. You dont really know unless there is a label on the contour line. A map with contour lines on it is called a topographic map.

To avoid this problem line features that represent contours can be treated as special types of line features. Topographic maps identify terrain and elevation with the use of contour lines. Because its impractical to mark the elevation of every contour line on the map the index contour lines are the only ones labeled.

And how to draw contour lines. Make sure students understand that contour maps though 2 dimensional use contour lines to show elevation above sea level. Point out the flattest and steepest areas on the crater lake map.

Which trail would you take. The index contours are a darker or wider brown line in comparison to the regular contour lines. How to label a contour line to show its elevation using civil 3d.

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