INTERPRETING

GEOLOGICAL MAP
DRRR
 WHAT IS A
GEOLOGICAL MAP?
•This type of map shows how
geological features, rock
units or geologic strata are
shown by colors or symbols
to indicate where they are
exposed at the surface.
GEOLOGICAL MAPS
FEATURES:
• A FAULT is a fracture or zone of
deformation in the Earth's crust
where rocks on one side have moved
relative to those on the other side.
Faults are characterized by
movement, and they can be classified
based on the direction of movement
(normal, reverse, or strike-slip).
GEOLOGICAL MAPS
FEATURE
• TILT in a geological context refers to
the inclination or angle at which
rock layers or strata are inclined
from the horizontal. Tilt is often
measured in terms of dip, which
indicates the maximum angle of
inclination of the rock layers from
the horizontal plane.
 GEOLOGICAL MAPS
FEATURE
• FOLDS are bends or curves in rock layers
caused by tectonic forces. They occur
when rocks are subjected to
compressional stress, leading to
deformation. Folds can be classified into
different types, such as anticlines (upward
folds) and synclines (downward folds),
depending on the shape of the
deformation.
GEOLOGICAL MAPS
FEATURE
•ROCK LAYERS, also known as strata
or formations, are horizontal or nearly
horizontal layers of rock that have
distinct characteristics and
composition. These layers are often
the result of sedimentation and can
provide valuable information about
the geological history of an area.
PARTS OF GEOLOGICAL
MAPS
• LEGEND, also known as the key, is a
section of the map that provides
explanations for the symbols,
colors, and patterns used on the
map. It helps users interpret
geological features and understand
the meaning of various map
elements.
PARTS OF GEOLOGICAL
MAPS
• INTERPRETATION on a geological
map involves analyzing the
presented data to draw conclusions
about the geological features,
history, and potential hazards of a
particular area. It requires expertise
in understanding the symbols, colors,
and patterns used on the map.
PARTS OF GEOLOGICAL
MAPS
• The TITLE of a geological map is a
brief description or label indicating
the subject or focus of the map. It
provides essential information about
what the map represents and often
includes details like the geographic
area covered and the time period the
map represents.
PARTS OF GEOLOGICAL
MAPS
• SUSCEPTIBILITY on a geological map
refers to the likelihood or
vulnerability of an area to specific
geological hazards or processes. For
example, a susceptibility map might
indicate the risk of landslides,
earthquakes, or other natural events
based on geological conditions.
PARTS OF GEOLOGICAL
MAPS
• The SOURCES section of a geological
map provides information about the
origins of the data used to create the
map. It typically includes references
to field surveys, research studies,
aerial imagery, or other sources that
contributed to the map's
information.
SYMBOLIZING GEOLOGY
•CONTOURS and
TOPOGRAPHY are just the
first parts of a geologic map.
The map also puts rock types,
geologic structures, and more
onto the printed page
through colors, patterns, and
Here is a small sample of a real geologic
map. You can see the basic things-
shorelines, roads, towns, buildings, and
borders- in gray. The contours are there
too, in brown, plus the symbols for various
water features in blue. All of these are on
the map's base. The geologic part consists
of the black lines, symbols, labels, and
areas of color. The lines and the symbols
condense a great deal of information that
geologists have gathered through years of
fieldwork.
•The letter symbols signify the
name and age of the rock
units in an area. The first
letter refers to the geologic
age, as shown above. The
other letters refer to the
formation name or the rock
type. The geologic map of
Rhode Island is a good
example of how the symbols
•A few of the age symbols are
unusual; for instance, so many
age terms begin with P that
special symbols are needed to
keep them clear. The same is
true for C, and indeed the
Cretaceous Period is
symbolized with the letter K,
from the German word
•The other letters in a formation
symbol usually refer to the rock type.
A unit consisting of Cretaceous shale
might be marked "Ksh." A unit with
mixed rock types might be marked
with an abbreviation of its name, so
the Rutabaga Formation might be
"Kr." The second letter might also be
an age term, particularly in the
Cenozoic, so that a unit of Oligocene
sandstone would be labeled "Tos."
•All of the information on the
geologic map-such as strike and
dip, trend and plunge, relative
age and rock unit-are obtained
by the hard work and trained
eyes of geologists working in the
field. But the real beauty of
geologie maps-not just the
information they represent-is in
• You could have a geologic map without
using colors, just lines and letter symbols in
black and white. But it would not be user-
friendly, like a paint-by-numbers drawing
without the paint. What colors to use for
the various ages of rocks? There are two
traditions that arose in the late 1800s: the
harmonious American standard and the
more arbitrary International standard. The
familiarity with the difference between the
two makes it obvious at a glance where a
geologic map was made
• These standards are just the beginning.
They apply only to the most common
rocks, which are sedimentary rocks of
marine origin. Terrestrial sedimentary
rocks use the same palette but add
patterns. Igneous rocks cluster around red
colors, while plutonic rocks use lighter
shades plus random patterns of polygonal
shapes. Both darken with age.
Metamorphic rocks use rich, secondary
colors as well as oriented, linear patterns.
All of these complexities make geologic
• Every geologic map has its reasons to deviate
from the standards. Perhaps rocks of certain
time periods are absent so that other units
can vary in color without adding confusion;
perhaps the colors clash badly; perhaps the
cost of printing forces compromises. These
are the reasons why geologic maps are so
interesting: each one is a customized solution
to a particular set of needs. In every case, one
of those needs is that the map must be
pleasing to the eye. Geologic maps, especially
the kind still printed on paper, represent a
dialog between truth and beauty.