This document is a note packet from an Earth Science class covering various topics related to Earth's dimensions. It includes sections on Earth's spheres, latitude and longitude, and topographic maps. The packet provides definitions of key vocabulary terms and explanations of concepts like map projections, coordinate systems, and time zones. It also contains practice problems for students to complete. The overall document serves as a study guide outlining important dimensional characteristics of Earth.

1. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
100m 10m
UNIT 3: EARTH’S DIMENSIONS
10km 
PACKET 4: EARTH’S SPHERES, LATITUDE & LONGITUDE, AND
TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
I get around the
topography with no
problem dude!!! …
P.S. I’m Rocky
HONORS EARTH SCIENCE
MS. GILL
NOTE PACKET #4
NAME:_______________________ PER:____ DATE: ________
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2. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Vocabulary
Earth Dimensions
Apparent motion
Contour lines
Contour map
Coordinate system
Density
Elevation
Equator
Field
Gradient
Isoline
Latitude
Local time
Longitude
Magnitudes
Meridians
Models
Pollution
Prime meridian
Profiles
Rate
Scale
Solar insolation
Standard error of measurement
Tides
Time zones
Topographic maps
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3. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
I. Earth’s Spheres: The four spheres of Earth
______________________________, ___________________________________
______________________________, ___________________________________
Atmosphere: Gaseous envelope
Geosphere: Solid Earth
-All interior layers of the Earth, from surrounding the Earth
the surface to the core
Page 10 in your ESRT Page 14 in your ESRT
Hydrosphere: All liquid and solid water on the Earth. Biosphere:
-Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, Groundwater and ice caps. -All forms of life
-Approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered -Single celled
with water. Only 3% of that water is fresh water. protozoans to plant life
-Page 1 in your ESRT to people
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4. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
II. Making Accurate Map
Projections
The earth has a curved surface.
This makes it very difficult to
accurately depict true distances and
directions on flat maps, or map
projections.
-Mercator Projections show the
whole world as one continuous map.
True distances are straight lines.
Problem: High latitudes are
________________ tremendously.
Greenland looks like it is the same
size as North America! It’s really
only 1/12 as large.
-Gnomonic Projections looks like a
sheet of paper were laid on earth’s
surface. It shows the __________
route between 2 points on earth.
Airline pilots use these maps.
Problem: Directions & distances are
distorted
-Polyconic Projections look as if a
__________ of paper were laid over
the north or south poles. Latitude
and longitude lines have a slight
curve. Good for making topographic
maps.
Problem: North is at the top center
of the map
What is the best map of the earth’s
surface? __________________
Best Model for earth’s shape =
________________________
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5. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
III. Latitude and Longitude
How do we communicate an exact location on earth’s surface to another person?
-A _____________________________ is a system or group of defined imaginary lines forming a
grid used for the determination or location of a point on the surface of an object.
-_________ intersecting lines are needed to locate a point on a __________ surface.
-___________________________________ system used to determine exact locations on the
surface of the Earth.
Latitude:
a) The ________________________ distance north or south of the equator, measured from
the center of the earth [the core].
b) They are ___________________________ running east-west, but measure north – south
c) They are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds.
d) Latitude is like climbing a __________________, N is up the ladder, S is down.
e)The equator is 0 degrees and the poles are at 90 degrees.
Lines of Latitude (parallels)
• Lines are parallel to ___________________.
• Therefore they are called ___________________.
• Lines get ____________ in length as you move away from the ____________.
• If you drive ____________ or ______________ along a line of latitude, the altitude of
Polaris remains the _______________.
•
Recall the _____________ of Polaris equals the latitude of the _____________.
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6. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Longitude
a) Is an ________________ distance _________ or _________ of the prime meridian,
measured from the center of the earth [the core].
b) Vertical Lines running ___________ - ____________, but measure east-west.
c) ____________ east or west of the prime meridian is the largest longitude.
d) The prime meridian is 0 degrees and the International Date Line is 180 degrees.
e) To help you remember think: Longitude –orange peels –the long way
Lines of Longitude (Meridian)
• Lines are __________ parallel.
• Lines meet at the _____________.
• Also called __________________.
• Lines are all of _____________ length.
• As you travel N & S along a Meridian, your _____________ stays the same.
• Each degree is divided into 60 equal parts called minutes.
• Each minute of a degree is divided into 60 equal parts called seconds.
Must Know Facts about writing latitude and longitude coordinates:
- Latitude is always given first
- Longitude is always given after latitude
- Always include units (degrees, minutes, seconds)
- Always include compass direction (N, S for Latitude, E, W for Longitude)
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7. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Equator:
-An imaginary horizontal line circling the Earth halfway
between the north and south poles.
-It is a ____________________ line for latitude and
has a latitude of __________ degree.
Prime Meridian:
Is an imaginary vertical line from the N pole to S pole
that passes through Greenwich, England.
It is a reference line for ______________________
and has a longitude of ________degree.
Other reference points include the:
- _________________, which is the point at 90° North of the equator (very top of earth).
- _________________, which is the point 90° South of the equator (very bottom of earth).
- The ____________________________________ is 180° east or west of the Prime
Meridian, on the direct ________________ side of the earth from the prime meridian.
- The Prime Meridian and the International Date form a ________________________ that
cuts the earth in ½ vertically.
East of the International
Date Line is a day earlier
with the same time. West
of the International Date
Line is a day later with
the same time
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8. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Use this Map to answer the following questions
★B
★E
★C
★D
★F
★A
Time Zones
1.•The Earthlabel the from ___________ to East and West (becareful)
Draw and rotates Prime Meridian, Indicate
2. Draw and labelat a rate of 15°/hour. Line.
___________ the International Date
3. Highlight the equator,
•Time zones are ______________ up by 1hour/15°
4. Complete the west and theby giving the Latitude and Longitude coordinates for each of the
•Travel to the chart below time gets
locations starred on the map. Give the east and to the nearest degree.
______________ and travel to your answer the
Point gets ___________.
time Latitude and Longitude
A 70° S, 137° E
B
C
DIf it is 3:00 PM for a
E person located on the tip
F of India, what time is it
for people in the following
locations?
New York: ________
Alaska: ___________
Florida: __________ Page#___
Italy: _____________
California: _________

9. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Earths Fields and Field Maps
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10. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Describing Earth’s Fields
•Field– a region which contains _________________ quantities at every location. (i.e. elevation,
temperature, pressure)
•Field Value– the value of what is being _____________________. (i.e. temperature,
elevation, pollution concentrations…)
•Magnitude– Value for a point on a _____________.
Field Values
•Scalar Field– A field described in terms of ____________________ alone (i.e. temperature,
pressure, humidity)
•Vector Field – A field described with both magnitude and __________________ (i.e. wind
velocity, gravity, magnetic fields)
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11. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Isoline
Is a_______________ on a field map that connects all points of equal ___________________.
Types of Isolines
•Contour Line – Isoline that connects
points of equal ___________________
on a contour map.
•Isotherm - Isoline that connects points
of equal ______________________ on
a field map.
•Isobar– Isoline that connects points of
equal _____________________ on a
field map.
Isosurface:
A _________________ in a
field that has the same field
__________ throughout.
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12. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Important Field Map Terms
•Topographic Map/Contour Map – A map that uses contour lines to show
____________________ and ___________________.
•Elevation – Height above ___________(average) sea level.
•Contour Interval– Vertical distance, or change in elevation, between two adjacent or
_________________ contour lines
Scale
•The __________________ of a
model to the object (i.e. globe to
earth).
•Use the ______________ on the
map as the _______________ to
Angle of Declination or Magnetic Declination
•The angle between ______________ north
(geographic north, north pole) and
______________________ north.
•
The angle of declination __________________
depending on your ____________________ on
the earth.
General Contour Map Rules
-Rule of ‘V’s – as ______________________cross a stream they bend _________________.
-The ___________________ the slope the _______________ the lines are to each other.
-Topographic maps would be very cluttered if all contour lines were labeled so only heavier lines
called __________________ show labels.
-Hachure contour lines (lines with tick marks) show depressions – the first hachure is equal to
the last contour line passed
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13. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Tips on Drawing Isolines
 Isolines connect points of equal value.
 Isolines are gentle, curving lines- no sharp corners.
 Isolines are always closed curves even though the map might only show part of it.
 Isolines NEVER cross- this would mean that one point has two different values. Ex:
one spot has two temperatures?
 Isolines usually are parallel. (They have a parallel trend.)
 Always draw an isoline so that the value reading is higher on one side of the line and
lower on the other than the value you are drawing
 Assume a steady change between neighboring reading when positioning isolines.
 Adjacent isolines tend to look alike
 Continue drawing an isoline until it reaches the boundary of plotted data or “closes” to
form a loop by making it way to it’s starting point.
 Isolines never stop or end within a data field, and they never fork, touch or cross one
another
 Isolines cannot skip values and must always appear in sequence.
 Only draw isolines that fall within the range of data reported on the map
 Always label all isolines
Draw Isolines connecting the Elevations in the Field Map Below:
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14. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Gradient
-A measure of how a field value __________________ with ____________________.
Gradient = Change in field value (formula is on the cover of your ESRT)
Distance
Show work including the formula here:
-Gradient shows how quickly the value changes from one point to another.
-A ___________________ gradient changes quickly and the isolines are close together.
-A ____________________ gradient changes slowly and the lines are far apart
-Circle and label the steep and gentle areas below:
Calculate the gradient of the slope along the line
drawn in the diagram. Assume that elevations are
given in feet. Show work including formula below:
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15. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
1km=1cm
Matching Landforms to their Contours Maps
What is the pattern of the contour lines around a simple hill?
_________________________________________________________________________
Identify the features marked at A and B
A:_____________________________
B:_____________________________
Hachure contour lines (lines with tick
marks) show depressions – the first
hachure is equal to the last contour
line passed
What does this profile show?
____________________________
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16. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
Profiles
-A profile is a side view of
an area showing
_______________.
-Topographic maps show the
elevation or vertical
distance above sea level of
the surface of the Earth
-Topographic profile is a
side view of this map cut
along a particular line.
STEPS TO DRAWING A PROFILE
1) Look at line A-B on the map on the following page. If we were to look at a profile view of line AB
on our topographic map, what might we expect to see? Predictions?
________________________________________________________________________
2) Take out a piece of scrap paper and hold the edge along line A-B. Make to small tick marks
corresponding with A and B.
3) Make a small tick where each contour line crosses line A-B. Label each tick mark with the
correct elevation value!
4) Now it’s time to draw your profile. Make your “x” axis the same exactly length as line A-B
5) Next, decide what the HIGHEST and LOWEST elevation values are that line AB crosses on your
topographic map and create a scale. You may wish to increase your scale by the contour interval on
the map to make things easier. In this case, we are going up by 10’s, because our contour interval on
the map is 10 meters.
6) Hold your scrap paper page up to the profile. Transfer the tick marks directly onto the profile
along the corresponding elevations.
7) Connect the dots!
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17. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
-This is what you might expect the
“profile” or cross section view of line AB to
look like!
-Notice how the line dips below 250m
where it crosses Long Creek
-Does it make sense? SURE! There is a
creek flowing through this region. Think
about where it would flow on your profile.
We also recognize the V shaped contour
lines that indicate the direction of water
flow.
-The contour lines point up the page
(orange), but Long Creek flows down the
page.
-Contour lines point upstream.
Stream flows from high elevation to low
elevation. So a stream flows in the
opposite direction the contours point
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18. Unit 3: Earth’s Dimensions Earth Science- Ms. Gill Note Packet #4
If you are lucky enough to be able to do your profile on the same page as the topographic map… you
can use the drop down method to draw the profile:
Same idea, but no need for tick marks and scrap paper!
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