Welcome to Miss Bresett's Web Page
Models and Dimensions of Earth
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Class Links
States, Rivers, Lakes Tutorial/Games
Interesting Links
Topozone.com - see the topographic map for any location in the USA
Tutorial for Determining Elevation
Intro to Topograhic Mapping - shows information on making a profile
Gallery of Virtual Topography - Read the information on this site very carefully. These are large files and will take some time to download
New York State Interactive Mapping Gateway - continuing to zoom in on area will take you to aerial photographs
NYS GIS (geographic information systems) Clearinghouse
Map of USGS Quads in NYS (part of the NYS GIS website)
Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy Page
atmosphere - shell of gases that surrounds Earth
benchmark - marker in the ground indicating the exact elevation above sea level
contour interval - difference in elevation between two consecutive contour lines
contour line - isoline on a field map connecting points of the same elevation
crust - very thin outer layer of Earth above the mantle composed of a rigid layer of rocks
depression contour line - a special contour line used to show a hole or crater in the Earth's surface (drawn like contour lines but are marked on the inside) click here to see example
elevation - height (distance) above sea level
equator - an imaginary line dividing Earth into Northern and Southern Hemisphere, starting place for measuring latitude (0º latitude)
field - any region of space that has some measurable value of a given property at every given point
gradient - rate at which elevation changes from place to place; syn: slope
hydrosphere - the waters of Earth; oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, etc
index contour line - heavy, dark contour line, usually with numerical value for elevation marked (usually every fifth line on 7.5 min USGS Quads) click here to see example
inner core - solid innermost layer of Earth; composed of iron and nickel under extremely high pressure and temperature
international date line - imaginary line representing maximum longitude (180º), also where day of the week is switched as a person travels across the international date line
isolines - lines on a field map connecting points of equal value
latitude - angular distance north or south of the Equator (0º - 90º)
lithosphere - solid outer shell of Earth consisting of the crust and uppermost portion of the mantle
longitude - angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian (0º - 180º)
mantle - thickest layer of Earth located below the crust; composed mostly of compounds rich in iron, silicon, and magnesium
meridians - imaginary lines used for measuring longitude running north-south from pole to pole
model - anything that represents the properties of an object
north/south pole - maximum latitude (90º)
oblate sphere - shape of the Earth, flattened at the poles and bulging at the Equator
outer core - layer of Earth' s interior located between the inner core and mantle; composed of iron and nickel in a liquid state
parallels - imaginary lines used for measuring latitude running east - west parallel to the equator
prime meridian - an imaginary line dividing Earth into Eastern and Western hemisphere; starting place for measuring longitude (0º longitude) and standard time zones
profile - a side view of the elevation of the land between two specified points
relief - difference in elevation between two points
topographic map - a map that uses contour lines and symbols to show the surface features of a particular area, including natural features (mountains, valleys, water, etc) and human-made features (roads, buildings, bridges, etc)
topography - all natural and human-made surface features of a particular area
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Last Updated 10/24/05
