Identify at least 3 ways to determine the direction of flow of Ladder Creek.

Please note: maps are large, so it is recommended you use a computer, rather than a tablet, to work this lab. Use the maps linked below:

  • Lake Wales, FL
  • Blakley Island, WA
  • Cordova, AK
  • Lake Scott, KS
  • Geologic Map, KY
  • Geologic Map Jefferson, CO
  • Geologic Map Yavapai, AZ

Topographic Map of Lake Wales, FL

General Map Questions—use the border areas to answer the following questions.

  1. What is the scale of this map?
  2. What is the contour interval of this map?
  3. Observe the numbers at each corner of the map area. At each corner is a longitude and latitude number. Explain how you can tell which is which.
  4. On the bottom margin, there are two arrows together. One is geographic north, and the other is magnetic north. Suggest a reason why this would be included on this map.
  5. Why is there purple on this map?
  6. What is the date of this map?
  7. At each corner, and midway through each of the sides of the map, there is a place name in parentheses. What do these represent?
  8. This map is based on the 1929 datum (sea level). What major information would be altered if this was based on 2010 datum?
  9. Which township and ranges are partly covered by this map?

Specific map questions—to be answered by information inside the map area.

  1. What is the gradient between the bench mark at the north end if Iron Mountain and Mountain Lake?
  2. What is the highest elevation on this map?
  3. What are all those very round features with multiple hachured contour lines?
  4. What is the elevation of Lake Pierce?

Blakely Island, WA

  1. What is the highest elevation of Decatur Island?
  2. What is the northern latitude of this map?
  3. What is the elevation difference between Blakely Peak and Horseshoe Lake?
  4. What is the funny line that is dashed with spots that wiggles through Blakely Island?
  5. By what route does water move out of Horseshoe Lake to Lopez Sound?

Cordova, AK

  1. What is the morphology of Copper River south of Miles Lake?
  2. What glacial feature is Nelson Bay?
  3. What is the contour interval of this map?
  4. What is all the white on this map?
  5. Going north up the Copper River, there are several areas of purple next to some of the glaciers. What could this represent?

Lake McBride/Lake Scott, KS

  1. What direction is Ladder Creek flowing?
  2. Identify at least 3 ways to determine the direction of flow of Ladder Creek.
  3. What is the drainage pattern on this map?
  4. What is the elevation difference between the top of Morgan Draw to Ladder Creek?

Geologic Map, KY

  1. Observe the elevations of the color changes in Kentucky on this map. What does this suggest about the attitude (orientation) of the rock units?
  2. What is the oldest rock unit shown on this map?
  3. What does the yellow indicate on this map?
  4. What direction does the Ohio River flow on this map?

Geologic Map Jefferson, CO

  1. What is the age of the unit in the middle of the syncline?
  2. What type of fault is the Williams Range—Elkhorn Fault?
  3. Are there any Paleozoic units on this map? If so, what are they?
  4. In what section of this map are the Jurassic age units?
  5. Are the units in the middle of the anticline older or younger than the units in the middle of the syncline?
  6. What direction does Deadman Gulch flow?
  7. Someone told you the Morrison Formation had dinosaur bones, so you decide to check it out. Where on this map would you go to hunt for them?

Geologic Map Yavapai, AZ

  1. What is different about the attitude of the unit at Big Bug Mesa, compared to the other units around it?
  2. Towards the NW corner of the map, there is a bright green unit labelled as smb. What type of fold is here?
  3. This is an old map. There are some units shown as ‘Age relationship unknown.’ How can we determine what the ages of these units are?
  4. Going by the cross section, what is the orientation of the Chaparral Fault?
  5. Which unit on this map has the steepest slope?
  6. What is the age of the Yavapai Series?

Your paper should meet the following requirements: