Topographic Map Exercise

ANTL 207

The point of this exercise is to familiarize yourself with reading topographic maps. The black lines on the maps give elevation data; where the lines are clustered thickly, there is a slope. Map coordinates can be given either in degrees/minutes/seconds, which is the standard old-fashioned method, or UTM, which stands for Universal Transverse Mercator, and which places a separate zone and grid coordinate for everywhere in the world to the nearest fraction of a meter.

Also, if you are unfamiliar with Wilmington, and don’t know where Greenfield Lake or City Hall is, ask someone nearby.

1) Go to mapserver.mytopo.com. Under “City or place name” type in Wilmington and type in NC under ‘state’. Hit ‘Go.’

2) Click on the ‘Wilmington, NC option.

3) Find the following places: Greenfield Lake, City Hall, and Hoggard Hall. What are the UTM and degree/minutes/seconds coordinates for each of these places? You will have to adjust the zoom and either pan across town or go to the ‘University at North Carolina at Wilmington’ option in order to get both the town and the university.

4) What is the elevation of the University?

5) Where is the closest benchmark (BM) to UNCW? What is its elevation?

6) What are the highest and lowest elevations you can see on the Wilmington Quad?

7) If you were a native American or European settler arriving in Wilmington, name three locations around Wilmington where you would settle. Why?

8) Look at the paper Topographic map placed on the table in the dirt lab. Which do you find easier to use, the paper version, or the electronic one?