Read topographic and geologic maps

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   “Card:” A map has a 20 ft contour interval. Ari sees a hill whose innermost closed contour is labeled 640 ft. Where is the hilltop?

   • Exactly 660 ft, one interval up
   • Exactly 640 ft, the innermost line
   • Between 620 and 640 ft
   • Between 640 and 660 ft
2. 2.

   On Bo's map, contours are close together on a hill's north side and far apart on its south side. Which side is steeper?

   • The north side, since close lines mean a flat area
   • The north side, since the same rise takes less distance
   • The south side, since its lines are farther apart
   • Neither side, since the interval is the same
3. 3.

   “Card:” The heavy labeled lines on Esme's map read 500 and 600 ft, with 4 thin lines between them. What is the contour interval?

   • 20 ft, since 5 steps make 100 ft
   • 25 ft, found by dividing 100 by the 4 thin lines
   • 4 ft, found as the number of thin lines
   • 100 ft, the gap between the two heavy lines
4. 4.

   Elevations rise toward the north. Contour lines cross a valley in V's that point north, and the numbers rise to the north. Which way does Jun's stream flow?

   • It does not flow, since V's mark a ridge
   • South, away from the points of the V's
   • East, across the V's
   • North, toward the points of the V's
5. 5.

   A narrow strip on Kira's map has contour V's that point downhill, toward the lower numbers. Is it a ridge or a valley?

   • A ridge, since V's point toward the stream
   • A valley, since it is narrow and has a stream
   • A valley, since V's point upstream
   • A ridge, since its V's point downhill
6. 6.

   A stream on Luz's map crosses the 800, then 780, then 760 ft lines in that order. Which way is it flowing?

   • Along the 780 ft line, without changing height
   • Toward the 800 ft line, since it began there
   • Toward the 760 ft line, which is downhill
   • Toward the 800 ft line, which is uphill
7. 7.

   Map scale 1:24,000, where 1 inch on the map is 2,000 feet on the ground. Two points are 2 inches apart on Noah's 1:24,000 map, where 1 inch is 2,000 ft. How far apart are they on the ground?

   • 48,000 ft, found as 2 × 24,000
   • 2,000 ft, the length of just one inch
   • 4,000 ft, found as 2 × 2,000
   • 1,000 ft, found as 2,000 ÷ 2
8. 8.

   Rise 100 feet; run 500 feet; slope = rise ÷ run. A trail rises 100 ft over a ground distance of 500 ft. What slope does Pia get as rise ÷ run?

   • 5, found as run ÷ rise
   • 0.5, found as 100 ÷ 200
   • 0.02, found by dropping a zero
   • 0.2, or 20%

9. Read this first

   Use this

   Geologic map G (made up). Legend, youngest to oldest: Qal, alluvium (Quaternary, yellow); Ks, sandstone (Cretaceous, olive); Jm, mudstone (Jurassic, green); Pl, limestone (Permian, blue); Xg, gneiss (Precambrian, gray). Xg lies in the southwest. Pl lies north of Xg and rests on it. Jm lies north of Pl, and Ks lies north of Jm. Dike d (diabase) cuts Xg and Pl and ends at the Jm contact. Alluvium Qal fills the stream valley and covers the edge of Ks. Fault f cuts Pl, Jm and Ks but not Qal.

10. 9.

    On map G, Pl rests on Xg, and Xg is Precambrian while Pl is Permian. Which unit is older, by Ren's reading?

    • Pl: its blue color shows it is older
    • Pl: it lies farther north on the map
    • Xg: Precambrian is older, and Pl rests on it
    • They are the same age, since they touch
11. 10.

    On map G, dike d cuts Xg and Pl but ends at the Jm contact. Zee asks whether d is older or younger than Jm.

    • Younger: dikes are igneous, and igneous rock is newest
    • Younger: it cuts older rocks, so it is the youngest
    • The same age: d and Jm touch along the contact
    • Older: Jm lies across the end of d, so d was there first