Basic Map Knowledge

For Orienteering

What is a map?
A symbolic picture of an area from up above It usually has a particular point of view, an audience, and a specific purpose

The Map concept

View from above Conveys information Represents SOME of the features Those that are navigationally useful

The Map concept

Uses a symbolic language
Like Signs No Parking

Like Sheet Music

Types of Maps
Road Maps Park Maps Nautical Aeronautical Cave Battlefield Political Geological

Topographical Maps
x

Contours
Horizontal Slices through the earth
Like a layer cake

Shows the lay of the land.

Contour Interval
Vertical Distance between contour lines

Map Symbols
USGS Maps

Orienteering Maps

Map Symbols
The symbols, Colors, and shapes are the language of mapping Mapping (Cartography) is both a science and an art
Science uses agreed upon conventions Art allows for style, emphasis, and general differences in maps

Map Colors
5 Colors
Yellow Green Brown Blue Black

Plus the white of the paper And a course overlay in Red or Purple

White: Open Forest

Yellow: Open Land

Green: Thicker Vegetation

Brown: Shape of the Land

Contour lines represent elevation in the landscape.

Blue: Water Features

Black: Man-Made & Rock

Maping Symbols

Contours
Common shapes
Reentrant (v-shape, low ground, points up hill) Spur (u-shape, high ground) Ridge Saddle )( Knoll
enclosed circle: top of a hill just a dot small hill

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Re-entrant
probably the most puzzling term encountered by the beginning orienteer kind of valley closed at one end a re-entrant is an "entering" of the land into the hill

shallow

deep

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Spur
Is the opposite of a re-entrant A projection or "nose" rising from the surrounding ground.

Description sheet symbol

Map symbols

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Ridge
The highest point running from knoll to knoll. The best place to travel Easiest running

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Saddle
The low point between two higher points..

Description sheet symbol

Map symbol

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Hills & knolls
Dot knoll: A small obvious mound. Hill: an enclosed contour line.

Description sheet symbol Knoll

Map symbols

Hill

Both

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Telling up from down
Closed circles are the tops of hills Blue lines are steams and are at the bottom of hills. Reentrants point up from streams to hilltops Spurs point down from hill to streams and valleys

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Telling up from down

The re-entrant and the spurs are very similar. Are they fat spurs and deep reentrants Or are they wide shallow reentrants with long skinny spurs?

Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Contours
Telling up from down

You will unusually be able to find a stream and/or a knoll someplace near on the map. The streams are the lowest points. The knolls are the highest. Trace the highs and lows to the area of interest.
Orienteering Cincinnati, 2005

Parts of a map
Title Scale Legend key Contour interval Map body Compass rose - N Magnetic north lines at scaled intervals

Additional information on map

Location area map Mapping credits Update info & printing dates Copyrights Contact info Access permissions Logos Additional boiler plate info

Overprint on map
Course Description sheet

Scale on Map
Common USGS map scales
1:24000 1:62500 1:250000

Common orienteering map scales

1:15000 1:10000 1:5000 1:7500 1:4000 Nominally called 1:15 1:10 1:5

Scale

Compare 2 scales