Making Topographical Maps
in
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25
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A
collection of landforms in an area is called its topography
(ta-PAH-gruh-fee). In Boomtown, there are many different kinds of
landforms that make its topography interesting. For example, the street map
of Boomtown shows that it has a hill, river, marsh, cliff, and beach. These
landforms can be identified because they are labeled on the street map.
For places that are not clearly named, or where more information about
the landform is needed, a topographical map is useful. A topographical
map uses a series of lines to represent the three-dimensional shape of the
land surface. Each line represents a specific elevation (el-a-VAY-shun) above
sea level. For example, one line on a topographical map might represent
an elevation of 100 meters. Topographical maps can be confusing for those
not familiar with them. This activity will help you understand how lines on
a topographical map represent the shape of the land.
CHALLENGE
This topographical map shows
roads, trails, creeks, and lakes
in addition to elevation.
C-8
What do the lines on a topographical map show?
Making Topographical Maps • Activity 25
Materials
For each group of four students
1 landform model
1 transparent plastic lid
1 dry erase marker
1 15-mL bottle of blue food coloring
1 large container of cold water
Procedure
1. Place 20 drops of food coloring in your container of water.
2. Place the lid on the box of the landform model and look down at the
landform. Use the marker to draw a dashed line on the lid that outlines
the edge of the landform.
Hint: It may help to close one eye when you’re viewing the box from
above. Make sure to keep your head in one place while you’re drawing
the line.
3. Being careful not to smudge your line, remove the lid and fill the box
with water until it reaches the first step on the side of the box.
4. Place the lid on the box and then use the marker to draw at least one
line that shows where the water reaches the sides of the landform.
5. Label any line you draw with a “1.”
6. Add water until it reaches the next step, and repeat Steps 2–4. Label the
line(s) drawn with water filled to the second step with a “2.”
7. Add water to the levels of the third, fourth, and fifth steps of the box,
repeating Steps 2–4 each time. Label the lines “3,” “4,” and “5.”
8. Watch carefully as you add just enough water to cover the top of the
landform. Use your observations to place an “X” on the lid above the
highest point.
C-9
Activity 25 • Making Topographical Maps
Analysis
1.A contour interval is the change in elevation between adjacent lines.
If each water line in your landform model represents 25 meters, what is
a. the contour interval for your topographical map?
b. an estimated height of the top of the hill?
2. a. What does your topographical map show you about the land?
b. What does your topographical map not show you about the land?
3. Compare the following diagrams that were each drawn with the same
contour interval and scale.
a. Which one shows a fairly flat area?
b. Which one shows a hill or a valley with a gentle slope?
c. Which one shows a steep hillside?
x
A.
yB.
zC.
4. Look at the diagram below and answer the following questions.
What SEPUP
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landform
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Figure: EaSB C 25.02
b. Which of the
locations marked on the map is the steepest?
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c. Which of the locations marked on the map is the flattest?
N
M
20
L
40
60
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Figure: EaSB C 25.03
LegacySansMedium 10/11.5
Boomtown’s Topography
pr
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26
oblem
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A
n important part of evaluating a building site is determining
the stability of the land. Stable areas have landforms that
have not changed much over a long time. One way to learn about recent
changes to the land surface is to compare the present day topography with
past topography.
Although Boomtown has grown quickly in the last twenty years, it was only a
small town one hundred years ago. The Boomtown Library has maps that can
show you how the area looked in the past.
CHALLENGE
What can topographical maps tell you about the stability of a
building site?
Materials
For each pair of students
1 Student Sheet 26.1, “Maps of Boomtown 100 Years Ago”
1 Student Sheet 26.2, “Maps of Boomtown 20 Years Ago”
1 Student Sheet 26.3, “Maps of Boomtown Today”
C-11
Activity 26 • Boomtown’s Topography
Procedure
1. Each student sheet shows a street map and a topographical map of
Boomtown at different times: 100 years ago, 20 years ago, and today.
2. In your science notebook, make a table like the one below.
3. Carefully examine the maps and compare one location at a time.
Boomtown through Time
Location
100 years ago
20 years ago Today
Marsh
Hillside
Cliff
Observe changes in
• roads and buildings
• waterways
• landforms
4. Discuss any changes you see in the maps with your partner. Record your
observations in your table.
5. After observing all the maps, discuss your ideas with the other pair in
your group of four. Review your table together and add any new observations of the three building sites.
C-12
Boomtown’s Topography • Activity 26
Analysis
1. What is the contour interval in the topographical maps of Boomtown?
2. a.What major changes did you observe between 100 years ago and
20 years ago?
b. What major changes did you observe between 20 years ago and
today?
3. Look at the maps of the three locations in Boomtown.
a. Which of the three locations is the most stable?
b. Which of the three locations is the least stable?
c. Explain the evidence that supports your answers to 3a and 3b above.
4. Do the maps indicate possible problems for building at any of the
­possible locations?
C-13
Forecasting Weather
in
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69
vestiga
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Y
ou have learned that meteorologists collect data about the earth’s
weather. They often use that data to construct weather maps.
Meteorologists then use those maps to predict what the weather will be
like in the next few hours, the next day, or for the next several days. This is
known as a weather forecast.
When forecasting weather, meteorologists sometimes refer to cold fronts,
which form when cold air moves in and replaces warm air. The cold air
pushes the warm air up, forming high columns of clouds, as shown below.
Cold fronts usually cause cooler temperatures. A warm front occurs when
warm air moves in and replaces cooler air. Warm fronts bring in warmer
temperatures. They also create cloudy conditions that usually last longer
than the cloudy conditions produced by cold fronts.
CHALLENGE
What information is found on a weather map? How can a weather
map be used to forecast weather?
Cold Front
Warm air mass
Cold air mass
Warm Front
2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth Sci SB
Figure: EaSB E 69.01a
LegacySansMedium 10/11.5
Warm air mass
Cold air mass
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2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth Sci SB
Figure: EaSB E 69.01b
Forecasting Weather • Activity 69
Materials
For each student
1 Student Sheet 69.1, “Summarizing Weather Reports”
1 Student Sheet 69.2, “Map of Iowa”
Procedure
1. Work with your group to review the information in the table below,
“Weather Map Symbols.” Make sure that you are familiar with the
­different weather symbols and what they mean.
Weather Map Symbols
Weather
Symbol
Associated Weather
Precipitation
Rain, snow, fog, or other forms of precipitation
Cold front
Cooler temperatures, possible precipitation
Warm front
Warmer temperatures, possible precipitation
2562 LabAids SEPUP Iss
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Figure: EaSB E 69.02d
Low pressure LegacySansMCloudy skies, possible precipitation
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Figure: EaSB E 69.02e
High pressureLegacy
Clear skies
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L
H
Figure: EaSB E 69.02f
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Hurricane
Damaging winds, rain, possible flooding
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Figure: EaSB E 69.02g
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Tornado watch
L
Area
LH where tornadoes may occur, possible severe thunderstorms
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Figure: EaSB E 69.02h
Tropical storm
Very strong winds and heavy rains
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g
Figure:FoEaSB
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NO
SY
MB
OL
LegacySansMedium
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PROVIDED YET
FogFog will assign your group one of the weather maps for August
2. Your teacher
SYMBOL
NONO
SY
MB
OLon pages 88-89.
24–31
shown
PROVIDED
PROV
IDED YEYET
T
H
LH
L
L
H
H
Fog
NO SYMBOL
PROVIDED YET
Fog
NO SYMBOL
PROVIDED YET
E-85
Activity 69 • Forecasting Weather
3. Work with your partner to summarize the weather on this map.
Identify:
• weather fronts
• precipitation
• areas of high and low pressure
• any unusual weather events, such as a tornado watch or a
hurricane
Be sure to discuss with your partner each type of weather and where
in the country it is occurring. For example, if you were to begin to
summarize the weather for August 24, you might say, “There is a cold
front stretching from Arizona northeast up to Minnesota.”
4. Work with your partner to write a weather report for your assigned day.
You can do this by describing the weather that is associated with each
weather symbol (see the table). As you summarize current weather
conditions, make sure to describe:
• weather fronts and possible changes in temperature
• areas of precipitation
• clear or cloudy skies due to changing pressure
• any unusual weather events, such as a tornado watch or a hurricane
In your science notebook, write your weather report in complete
sentences and in the present tense, as if you were reporting the
weather on television or the radio. For example, if you were to begin to
summarize the weather on August 24, you could write, “The cold front
stretching from the southwest up to Minnesota is causing cooler temperatures and may result in some precipitation.”
5. Share your weather report with the other half of your group. Discuss
similarities and differences in your weather reports, and make any
needed changes.
6. Prepare one weather report to present to the class.
7. Read the statements on Student Sheet 69.1, “Summarizing Weather
Reports.” You will respond to these statements after listening to your
classmates report on the weather for each of the eight days from
August 24 to 31.
8. Have your group present its weather report and listen to other groups
reports.
9. After listening to all eight weather reports, complete Student Sheet 69.1.
E-86
Forecasting Weather • Activity 69
Locator Map for
Cleveland, Ohio
L. Superior
WA
MONT
Pacific
Ocean
ORE
L. Ontario
N DAK
L. Huron
MINN
IDAHO
WYO
CALIF
WISC
S DAK
IOWA
ARIZ
KANS
OKLA
N MEX
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
PENN
W
VA
KY
ARK
E
VA
DEL
MD
Atlantic
Ocean
NC
TENN
SC
MISS
TEX
OHIO
IND
MO
N
S
ME
NY
L. Erie
Cleveland
ILL
UTAH
COLO
NH
VT
MICH
NEBR
NEV
W
L. Michigan
ALA
GA
LA
FLA
Gulf of Mexico
10. Based on the weather reports you heard, forecast the weather for Cleve­2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth Sci SB
Figure:
E 69.04
land,EaSB
Ohio
for September 1. Describe likely fronts, temperature changes,
LegacySansMedium 10/11.5
pressure changes, precipitation, and severe weather that may arrive.
Hint: Look at the pattern of weather over the eight days. Use your
knowledge of how weather moves across the United States to predict what
No risk
type of weather is likely to occur in Cleveland.
Analysis
1. a. B
ased on the patterns you observed in the weather maps, in what
direction does weather generally travel across the United States?
b. Think back to your work in the last activity. In what direction does the
prevailing wind move across the United States?
c. How does the movement of the atmosphere globally affect weather
locally?
2. Below is weather data collected for Iowa on September 15. Your teacher will
give you Student Sheet 69.2, “Map of Iowa.” Use the information provided
and your knowledge of weather maps to place the appropriate weather
symbols on Student Sheet 69.2. Be sure to construct a key for your map.
• Warm front extending from Lincoln, Nebraska northeast to Mason
City, Iowa
• Rain all along the warm front
• Low-pressure system in and around Des Moines, Iowa
3. Reflection: People often complain about the unreliability of weather
forecasts. Why do you think meteorologists are sometimes wrong about
what the weather will be like?
E-87
Activity 69 • Forecasting Weather
Weather Maps:
August 24 through
August 31
WA
MONT
ORE
MINN
IDAHO
CALIF
UTAH
IOWA
NEBR
COLO
N MEX
NY
MICH
ILL
KANS
ARIZ
WISC
S DAK
WYO
NEV
NH
VT
N DAK
OKLA
H
VA
NC
TENN
ARK
LA
TEX
H
KY
MO
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
PENN
IND OHIO
ME
SC
MISS ALA
GA
August 24
FLA
WA SB
2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth Sci
EaSB E 69.03a
MONT
ORE
MINN
IDAHO
UTAH
CALIF
L
ARIZ
WISC
S DAK
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NH
VT
N DAK
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NEBR
COLO
VA
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
NC
TENN
ARK
LA
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H
W
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KY
MO
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PENN
IND OHIO
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SC
MISS ALA
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August 25
FLA
2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth Sci
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EaSB E 69.03b
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Yucca Mountain, Nev.
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NC
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August 26
FLA
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EaSB E 69.03c
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WYO
L
H
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CALIF
UTAH
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August 27
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VA
ME
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EaSB E 69.03d
WISC
NY
MICH
IOWA
ILL
MO
ARK
LA
IND OHIO
KY
TENN
PENN
W
VA
H
VA
NC
SC
MISS ALA
GA
FLA
ME
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
Forecasting Weather • Activity 69
WA
L
ORE
MONT
MINN
IDAHO
S DAK
WYO
NEV
CALIF
NH
VT
N DAK
NEBR
UTAH
COLO
NY
MICH
IOWA
ILL
KANS
IND OHIO
KY
MO
L
OKLA
N MEX
ARIZ
WISC
LA
W
VA
VA
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
NC
TENN
ARK
TEX
PENN
ME
SC
MISS ALA
GA
August 28
FLA
WASci SB
2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth
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ORE
MONT
N DAK
L
S DAK
IDAHO
L
H
NEV
CALIF
NH
VT
MINN
WYO
NEBR
UTAH
COLO
NY
MICH
IOWA
ILL
KANS
IND OHIO
KY
MO
OKLA
N MEX
ARIZ
WISC
LA
TEX
VA
NC
TENN
ARK
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
PENN
W
VA
ME
SC
MISS ALA
GA
August 29
FLA
WASci SB
2562 LabAids SEPUP Issues Earth
EaSB E 69.03f
ORE
MONT
MINN
IDAHO
CALIF
L
H
H
UTAH
ARIZ
WISC
S DAK
L
WYO
NEV
NH
VT
N DAK
NEBR
COLO
KANS
OKLA
N MEX
TEX
NY
MICH
IOWA
ILL
IND OHIO
W
VA
H
KY
MO
VA
MA
RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
NC
TENN
ARK
LA
PENN
ME
SC
MISS ALA
August 30
GA
FLA
WA
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MONT
ORE
MINN
IDAHO
WYO
L
H
CALIF
NEV
UTAH
NH
VT
N DAK
S DAK
NEBR
H
ARIZ
COLO
N MEX
KANS
OKLA
TEX
August 31
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EaSB E 69.03h
WISC
L
ILL
MO
ARK
LA
NY
MICH
IOWA
IND OHIO
KY
H
PENN
W
VA
VA
ME
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RI
CONN
NJ
DEL
MD
NC
TENN
SC
MISS ALA
GA
FLA
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