How to Make a Topographic Mountain Map for School
Topographic maps are drawn representations of physical areas, including vertical space. Geographic objects such as hills and mountains are included in topographical maps. This activity intends to help you to understand the concept of physical vertical space on an abstract two-dimensional surface.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 cups of modeling clay
- 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper
- Pencil
- 1 set of colored pencils
- 6 inches of fishing line
Instructions
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Create Mountains and Trace
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1
Make some mountains of varying sizes using the modeling clay. Be creative--make some lopsided and make some larger than others. Make the bottom of each mountain flat by pressing it gently onto a hard surface.
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2
Slice each mountain horizontally into evenly divided segments using the fishing line. Every segment should be as thick as the others.
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3
Take the bottom layer of a mountain and place it on the paper. Use your pencil to trace the lower layer.
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4
Trace the next layer (from the bottom up) onto the paper within the boundaries of the lowest layer. Repeat this process until you've reached the top of your mountain.
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5
Reconstruct the mountain and repeat the tracing process for each mountain.
Color the Map
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6
Lightly color between the lines within each mountain to represent different heights. Demonstrate consistency by using the same colors to represent the same heights in different mountains.
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7
Shade the areas near the base of the mountain with brown to represent the elevation.
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8
Color other areas of the map to represent terrain. Use green for forest, yellow for desert and blue to represent water.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you don't have fishing line readily available, substitute with dental floss.
Use your hands to warm the clay if it isn't easy to shape at first. You can also let it sit in the sun to warm up.
Impress your teacher by using local topography.
Be careful around pets and small children. Digesting the materials needed to make your topographic map could harm them.
