THE TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS.OF THE UNITED STATES 
The Un*tj State* Ucologiortl Surv**/. ^fvSSkinv ft Euidflid bou'etour * I •• uieurionnl sign* used te reprre‘«l| Ihcse 
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. . I- .d*»' *»**''• whose Mr! are dry for n lure* parr of 
liy UHmi1o ; s?c meridian* -*4 W picric ’ITf* -** V line* «d* bill* dote and dashew. 
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Ini emJ. map blduK ihut vrlibh i- hM iufcptpii :<♦ general «» iu m»|* nrv» supplemented Ity shading showing the effeet, of light 
thrown from the north went atwiiss the ami represented, for the 
purpose of giving the appearance of relief and thus aiding iu 
the interpretation of the contour line*. A contour line repre¬ 
sents «u imaginary line on the ground <* contour) every part 
of which is at .the same altitude above sea level. Hu eh a Hue 
could he drawn at any altitude, but in practice only the cm»- 
thn development of the country, and conseqiimirly, though tile 
Stamford mftpa are of nearly uniform size, they re present areas 
iif different sixes. On the lower margin of each map are printed 
graphic scales showing distances in feet, meters, and-Holes. In 
addition, the scale id* the mup is shown by h fraction expressing 
a fixed ratio between linear measurements on the map and cop* 
responding distances on (lie ground. For example, the scale teure ml o&toiu regular intervals of altitude ftre rtuwn, The 
* jj * 1 - " • ' line of the soaeoast itself is a contour, the. datum or zero of alti¬ 
tude being mean sea level. The 204bbt contour would be the 
shore lino if the sea should rise 20 feet Contour lines show 
the shape of the hills, mountains, and valleys, as well U6 their 
altitude. Huoceasive contour lines that ure far apart on the 
mup indicate a gentle slope* lines that are close together indi¬ 
cate a sleep slope: und linos that rnn together indicate ft clilT. 
The manner in which contour lines express altitude, form, 
and grade is shown in die lignre below. 
ips means that 1 unit on the map (such ns 1 inch, 1 font, or 1 
rnetor) represents 62,500 similar units on the earths surface. 
Although some arena are surveyed and some niup« tire com¬ 
piled and published on special scales for special purposes, die 
standard topographic surveys for die United States proper and 
the resulting maps hove for many years been divided into three 
types, differentiated as follows: 
1. Surveys of areas in which there are problems of great 
pnblic importance—relating, for example, In mineral develop¬ 
ment, irrigation, or reclamation of swamp areas—are made with 
sufficient accuracy to bowsed iu the publication of iuhjw on a 
scale of snso (1 inch — uue-half mile), with a contour interval of 
1, 5, or 10 feet, 
2. Survey® of areas iu which them are problems of average 
public importance, such a* mnet of the basin of the Mississippi 
and its tributaries, arc made with sufficient accuracy Iu be used 
in the publication of maps on n scale of ^ (1 inch = nearly 
1 mile), with a contour interval of 10 to 25 foot 
3. Surveys of amis in which the problems are of minor 
public importance, such as much of the mountain or desert 
region of Arizona or New Mexico, urn made with sufficient 
accuracy to be used iii the publication of maps Oil a scale of 
D— (1 inch = nearly 2 miles), with a contour interviii of 25 to 
1(J0 feet. 
A topographic survey of Alnsku hue been in progress since 
r.-v r . T / 37 p^reerA A 1 Itr-ivs - z \ d. — 
About 10 jier cent of the Territory has been covered by recon¬ 
naissance maps on a scale of or about 10 miles to an 
inch. Must of dm remaining aiea surveyed in Alaska bus 
been mapped on a scale of ^' Kll) bu! about 4,000 square miles 
lias been mapped on ;i scale of gr^,. 
About half of the Hawaiian .Istomin lias been surveyed, and 
die resulting maps are published on it scale of The sketch represents a river valley tlmt lies between two 
The features shown on these maps may be arranged iu three hills. In the fotegifniml in£cba iea, with a bay that is purtly 
groups—(1) water, including seas, lakes, rivers, canals, swlimps, iudoeed by a hooked wmiK bar. On each fide of the valley is 
and.Other bodies of water; (2) relief. Including mountains, iterance into which small streams have cat narrow gullies, 
hills, valleys, and other features of thu land surhice; (3) culture** The hiU ou the right has a rounded summit and gently dop- 
{works of man), such as towns, dries, roads, railroads, and ing spurs fepamlnl by re vines. The a pure ure truncated at 
*v 
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1hcit lower “udi by It >••• chff, rim hill lit tbi? toff l*nnmnte 
abruptly .1 Him vaffav i.» h «u.wr[\ |i •mi flinch it 
gmdually 0 way mill bmiik an iurJiuni r.tbh-lnnd Mml h lp<> 
creed hjn few fbstllnw gitllb^ On du* mup twdi »jf do-*- 
fe*icui'C“ h re|mscui-ed, du^dy beneath H- jflajkin in (ho 
akctcli, bv iiftlikuiir linex. 
Tbc no ii tour interval, or th« vertical iii tsitn. in r*«i be'w»en 
one contour und die next, is stated at the hoaom of eaub map. 
This interval liffeiu according to the topogruphy of the area 
mapped! iu u Hal country it nmv be ;w «iusill :i» 1 foot; in a 
Iiioumainaufi region it may be ns great as 260 feet Certain 
contour lines, every fourth or fifth ones, ure iiiiufe heavier tlmn 
the others pud are accompanied by figures showing altitude. 
T’he heights pi many point*—such o« road corm re, summits, 
Burlaces of lakes, and be neb mark-—ore also given on the map 
in figure*, which show altitudes to the nearest toot, only, More 
exact altitudes—those of bench marks —hh wmII «s the gMctic 
coordinates of triangulatiou stations, are published in bulletins 
issued by the Geological Survey. 
lettering und the works of maft are shown in black Uound- 
nries, ‘■uch a® those of u State, county, citv, laud grarit, town¬ 
ship, or reservation, are shown by cimthiuous or broken line- 
of different kinds und weights. Metaled roads arc shown by 
double lines, one of which to amniLtutfcetl Other public loads 
are eliowu by fine double lines, private and j»c>or roads by 
dashed double lines, eraiIs by dashed single lines. 
Each rpiadnoigle to flcsignatcd by rliu mime of a city, town, 
or prominent natural fixture witliin it. and on tlm margins of 
the map are printed the names of adjoining quadrangles of 
which mops have been published. Over 3,000 quadrangles in 
the United States have been surveyed, und maps of them 
Similar to the one on the other ade of this sheet have been 
published. 
The topographic map is the base on which the geology and 
mineral resources of a quadrangle are represented, and the 
m a pn showing these are bound together with-a descrip¬ 
tive text to form a folio of the Geologic Atlas of the United 
States. More than 200 folios have been published. 
Index maps of each State slid of Alaska and Hawaii showing 
the areas covered by topographic maps and geologic folios pub¬ 
lished by the United States Geological Survey ruwy be nbtaiucil 
five. Copies of rhe stfimbml. topographic maps mav lie obtaincil 
for 10 cents each; some special majw are sold at. different prices. 
A ; msi^uiYnof'Tt - picrT*rijT is Tiriowvd da^au order for maps 
amounting to $o or more at the retail price. The geologic 
folios are sold lor 25 cents or more each, the price depending 
on the size of the folio, A circular describing rhe folios will 
be -cut. *)n request. 
Applications for maps or folios 4iou1d be accompanied by 
cash, draft, or money order (not prs-tago sUrmpe.l and should bo 
addressed to 
THE L)lHECTOR, 
•< flniied Sink* G*aloyi<'ul SttfVey, 
Wuxhinffton % 1). C. 
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January. li»24. 
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