Student Activity 1: Topographic Map and Profiling Lab Activity
Name: ______Hour: ______
Background:
Topographic maps are useful for recreation (hiking, camping), land-use planning, and as a base map for geological data. Topography is defined as the heights and depths that give the Earth’s surface shape. Vertical distances above the mean sea level datum are called elevations. Elevations are shown on topographic maps separated by a vertical distance called the contour interval. Thinking of contours as shorelines at different seal levels may help in visualizing the three-dimensional nature of topographic contours. Relief is the difference between the high and low point of an area. Scale is the relationship between map distance and ground distance. 1:24000 is the fractional scale of the topographic quadrangle that covers 7 ½ minutes of latitude and longitude. This means 1 map inch is the same as 24,000 inches on the ground. Use the bar or graphic scale printed on a topographic map to measure distance directly when needed.
Locations are conveyed by the township and range system. A township is a 36-mile square, bounded by townships north or south of a latitudinal base line and ranges east or west of a principal meridian of longitude. Thirty-six one square mile sections are numbered from 1 to 36 on the map. Precise locations are spotted using quarter sections; N/W, N/E, S/W, and S/E. Locations always start with the smallest quarter, through the larger quarters, through the section number, to the township and range numbers.
Materials Required
Wood River Quadrangle Map PDF
Ruler
Lab Sheet
Procedure
Find the following positions on the map and answer the questions regarding each position.
a) This seems to be a great place to live. Look near outcrop 28f in the center of Sec 26, T. 5N, R. 9W. What kind of place is this?
b) What is the number of the water well located in the SE ¼, SE ¼, Sec 19, T. 5N, R. 8W?
c) What historical feature runs diagonally across Sec 29, T. 4N, R. 8W?
d) What is the elevation of the Bench Mark located along the South Line of SE ¼, Sec 9, T. 4N, R. 9W?
e) There is a lake located next to a bikeway in the SE ¼, Sec 17, T. 4N, R. 8W. Calculate the gradientof the river, in feet/mile, between the lake and Bluff Road.Next determine if the river is running west or east and how you know this to be true.
f) There is a place at the SW ¼, SW ¼, Sec 1, T. 4N, R. 9W where many people are just laying around not doing much of anything. What is its name.
Questions
1) What is the contour interval on the Wood River map?
2) The map scale is 1:24000. One inch on the map equals ______inches on the ground.
3) The map covers ______miles east to west and ______miles north to south.
4) If the Mississippi River rose to an elevation of 435’ above mean sea level, and the levees failed, answer the following three questions:
a) Would you expect any flooding to occur at the Hartford refinery located at South ½, section 34, T.5 N, R.9 W? Explain how you came about this conclusion?
b) What about at the post office in Wood River located at NW ¼ of the NW ¼ of section 27, T.5 N, R. 9 W? Explain as well.
c) If this happens how deep would the floodwaters be in the town of Mitchell, SE ¼ of section 27, T.4 N, R.9 W.
5) What is the relief in section 22, T.4 N, R.9 W? How about Section 6, T.4 N, R.8 W?
6) Will new corn herbicide trials in the west ½ of section 24, T.5 N, R.9 W affect the livestock drinking stream water on your farm in the NW ¼ of the SE ¼ of section 39, T.5 N, R.8 W? Why or why not? Explain your answer.