Contours, Relief & Cross-Sections Flashcards
All 5 cards in this deck
What is a contour line?
A line joining points of equal height above sea level.
What is a spot height on an OS map?
A marked point showing the height of that location in metres above sea level.
True or false? Contour lines that are close together show gently sloping land.
False. Close contours show a steep gradient; contours far apart show gentle slopes.
What is meant by the relief of an area?
The height of the land and the shape/steepness of the land.
What are the steps to draw a cross-section between two points on an OS map?
e.g. from X to Y across a valley
- Lay paper along the line X–Y and mark where each contour crosses, noting its height.
- Plot the heights on graph axes of height against distance.
- Join the points with a smooth line to show the valley shape.