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 640 ft, the innermost line
   • Between 640 and 660 ft
   • Exactly 660 ft, one interval up
   • Between 620 and 640 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 south side, since its lines are farther apart
   • Neither side, since the interval is the same
   • The north side, since the same rise takes less distance
   • The north side, since close lines mean a flat area
3. 3.

   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?

   • South, away from the points of the V's
   • It does not flow, since V's mark a ridge
   • East, across the V's
   • North, toward the points of the V's
4. 4.

   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 V's point upstream
   • A valley, since it is narrow and has a stream
   • A ridge, since its V's point downhill
5. 5.

   Map scale 1:24,000, so 1 cm on the map matches 24,000 cm on the ground. Milo's map has a scale of 1:24,000. How far on the ground is 1 cm on the map?

   • 24 m, found by dividing by 1,000
   • 24,000 m, found by keeping centimeters as meters
   • 2,400 m, found by dividing by 10
   • 240 m, found as 24,000 cm ÷ 100
6. 6.

   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?

   • 2,000 ft, the length of just one inch
   • 1,000 ft, found as 2,000 ÷ 2
   • 48,000 ft, found as 2 × 24,000
   • 4,000 ft, found as 2 × 2,000
7. 7.

   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?

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

8. 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.

9. 8.

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

   • Pl: it lies farther north on the map
   • They are the same age, since they touch
   • Pl: its blue color shows it is older
   • Xg: Precambrian is older, and Pl rests on it
10. 9.

    Tala reads the legend of map G. Which rock unit is the youngest?

    • Jm, since green is the youngest color
    • Ks, since it lies farthest north
    • Qal, the Quaternary alluvium
    • Xg, since it is in the corner of the map
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.

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