USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features USGS topographic maps are effective tools to illustrate a wide variety of physiographic features. Use this index to select the names and locations of topographic maps that illustrate the particular physical feature of interest, such as those resulting from glaciation, karst, tectonics, or volcanism. The index is also organized by state. By clicking on a particular state on the map above, the list of topographic maps illustrating particular features in that state are listed. This set of maps generally follows the USGS Physical Divisions Map of the United States, and illustrates most of its 86 sections. The USGS publishes approximately 57,000 different topographic maps covering the USA. Topographic maps include contour lines indicating landforms and elevations, hydrography (rivers, lakes, marshes, transportation (roads, trails, railroads, airports), vegetation, boundaries, survey markers, urban areas, buildings, and a variety of other features. These http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (1 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:24 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features maps are drawn according to the National Map Accuracy Standard and are most commonly published at 1:24,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, and 1:500,000-scale, although many other scales exist as well. This selection of maps illustrating physiographic features highlights 1:24,000- scale maps unless otherwise indicated. Topographic maps represent a fantastic resource for educators. They can be used in a variety of ways in the science, math, geography, and history curriculum, from elementary to college level. Sample images from USGS Topographic Maps: Visit: http://mapping.usgs.gov/mac/ isb/pubs/booklets/usgsmaps/usgsmaps.html How To Obtain Topographic Maps: Visit http://mapping.usgs.gov/mac/findmaps.html Topographic Map Symbols: Visit http://mapping.usgs.gov/mac/isb/pubs/booklets/ symbols/index.html COASTAL FEATURES AND SHORELINES Ancient Abandoned Ancient beach cuspate bar, Barrier beach Battered sea cliff shoreline ridges split and tombolo Bay Bay, Carolina Bayhead bar Baymouth bar Bayou Bonneville and Beach Cape Coastal bars Coastal terrace Provo shoreline Distributary Deltaic Distributary Cove Crowsfoot delta channels, channels channels abandoned Distributary Drowned coast Diverted outlet Drowned river Drowned valley stream on delta line Headland, Estuary Fiord Lagoon Marine terrace truncated Okefenokee Pamlico Neck Pamlico terrace Pass terrace shoreline http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (2 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:24 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features Raised beach Raised spit and Point Prograded shore Sand spit ridges hook Silver Bluff beach, Silver Bluff Spit, compound Tidal marsh or Sea stacks lagoon, and terrace recurved swamp shoreline Wicomico Tombolo Wave-cut cliff terrace ESCARPMENT FEATURES Allegheny Front Ancient river bluff Blue Ridge Front Cliff Cuesta Eastern escarpment Erosional Cumberland Front Escarpment Faceted Sierra Nevada escarpment Facets Fault line scarp Falt scarp Piedmont re-entrants Rim West face of Green River bluff Mountains GLACIATION FEATURES FORMED BY ALPINE GLACIATION Biscuit-board Amphitheater Arete Cirque Cirque lake topography Cirque headwall Col Compound cirque Cyclopean stairs Finger lakes Glacial trough Glacial valley Glacier Hanging valley Lateral moraine Sub-summit erosion surface Matterhorn Medial moraine Nunatak Pater Noster lakes scoured by ice cap Tarn U-shaped valley GLACIATION FEATURES RESULTING FROM CONTINENTAL GLACIATION http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (3 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:24 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features Continental Abandoned glacial Abraded glaciation Coteau du Bedrock knobs channels bedrock hills (southern Missouri margin) Dissected glacial Drainage Drainage Deranged drainage Drumlins plateau diversion, glacial reversal, glacial Drumloidal hills End moraine Esker Finger lake Glacial drift Glacial Lake Glacial gorges or Glacial Lake Glacial lake Glacial linear Maumee Glacial spillways Agissiz bottom deposits ridges Lake Vermont Glaciated plain Glacially deepened Glacially Glacially (mantled with Ground moraine trough modified hills rounded hills loess) Hills, glacially Ice-terminal Ice-carved strike Ice-marginal scoured and Ice-contact slope drainage ridges drainage channel plucked channel Intermorainal Kalamazoo Kame-kettle Kames Kame plains lowland Moraine complex Kames and Kettle (with lake Knobs and Kame terrace Kettle holes kettles or pond) kettles Lakes and Lobate Lake Border ponds in Meltwater Lobate lineation washboard Moraine glacially scoured channel moraine bedrock basins Mountains and Morainic Obstructed Outwash Morainal lakes islands modified topography drainage channels by glaciation Poorly Outwash filled Pitted outwash Outwash terrace Ponds in kettles integrated channels plain drainage Spillway from Strand lines, Swell and swale Valparaiso Glacial Lake Glacial Lake Terminal moraine topography Moraine Hartford Agassiz MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (4 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:24 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features Contrasting Dam and Badlands Carolina Bay Continental Divide topography reservoir Flood control and Highest point in Highest point Fall line navigation Great Raft eastern United in Texas development States International High relief Intracoastal Boundary (channel Laurentian Divide Low relief topography Waterway of Rio Grande) Sea level Rock sculpture Lowest elevation and below Natural bridge River development controlled by in United States sea level fractures contours Underwater contours (depth curves) MOUNTAIN FEATURES Accordant Canoe-shaped Anticline Anticlinal ridge Concave slope summits mountain Dissected Dissected block Dissected dome Convex slope Dissected upland asymmetric dome mountains mountains Fault block Fault line scarp Fault line valley Flatirons Folded moutains moutains Island mountains Fold ridges Folds en echelon Hogback Isolated ranges (inselbergs) Linear ridge controlled by Low divide Matterhorn Migrating divide Monadnock bedrock structure Mountain Ridges of Ridges formed of peak, isolated San Andreas Rift Sinuous divide accordant height folded hard strata Pass Strongly dissected Structurally Synclinal S-shaped ridge Strike ridge mountainous controlled ridges mountain highland Water gap Wind gap Esplanade Klippe http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (5 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:24 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features PLAINS FEATURES Aggraded desert Dissected Alluvial plain Desert plain Dissected plain plain lacustrine plain Mississippi alluvial Dissected till plain Flood plain Glaciated plain Lacustrine plain plain Plain trenched by creek and river PLATEAU FEATURES Beaches Apex of Ozark Badlands controlled by Butte Cuesta Plateau (dissected plateau) bedrock Dissected plateau Erosion Dip slope Dissected plateau Erosional remnant of strong relief surface Okanogan Mesa Outlier Piedmont remnants Plateau Highlands Summit erosion Table-top Point Table surface remnants mountains SOLUTION FEATURES Blind valleys (valley sinks) Disappearing stream Karst topography Lakes in sinks Sinks VALLEY FEATURES Abandoned Abandoned Abandoned Alluvial fan, entrenched Alluvial fan channels meanders coalescing meanders Alluvial fan, Alluviated Alluvial fill Alluvial plain Amphitheater dissected lowland http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (6 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:24 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features Anticlinal valley Arroyo Bajada Barranca Basin Broad valleys Bed of drained Centrifugal Bolson eroded in soft Canyon shallow lake drainage rock Dendritic drainage Channeled Columbia River Dendritic Cove developed on flat scabland Valley drainage lying strata Dendritic Disappearing Dissected Dissected Entrenched drainage, intermittent streams pediment terraces creeks and river rectangular Entrenched Fault controlled Fault line valley Fault valley Flats meander valley Gorge, Gully deeply Flood plain Gorge Hanging valley postglacial eroded Meander Imminent stream Immature Imminent cut-off channel, re- Meander core piracy drainage occupied Meandering Meander Meanders Meander scars stream in flood Narrows patterns plain Old channel Nonintegrated Natural levee with placer Parallel drainage Pediment drainage deposits River with sand Playa Reverse drainage River terraces Rock terrace channel Sand bars and Stream piracy Salt basin Slipoff slope Strike valley scrolls (along river) (capture) Structurally Structurally controlled Structurally Subsequent controlled Synclinal valley dissected controlled drainage stream valleys terraces Underground Terrace, alluvial Tonto Platform Trellis drainage Undercut slope drainage flowing from caves Wash or channel, Wide meander V-shaped valley sandy belts http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/featureindex.html (7 of 94)6/9/2006 10:29:25 AM USGS Topographic Maps Illustrating Physiographic Features VOLCANIC FEATURES Ancient Mount Collapse Collapsed Caldera Cinder cones Mazama depression volcanic cone Dissected Eroded volcanic Faulted volcanic Crater Dikes, radial volcano mountains cone Lava area Nuees ardents Lava, recent Parasitic cone Pumice sheet (malpais) deposits Radial drainage Stripped lava on volcanic Recent vulcanism Rim of caldera Shield volcano flow surface cone Volcanic cone, Volcanic cone