Welcome to Geologic Explorations: Which Way Is North?
Which Way Is North? is an activity that allows students to develop
skills in understanding location by exploring a variety of unique geological
formations using Quicktime Virtual Reality (QTVR) panoramas and topographic
maps.
A topographic map is a representation of a three-dimensional surface
on a flat piece of paper. Contour lines, sometimes called "level lines,"
join points of equal elevation. The closer together the contour lines
appear on a topographic map, the steeper the slope (assuming constant
contour intervals).
The topographic maps used in this activity are USGS Map Series Images
(Black and White) 7.5 minute quadrangle maps. These maps were created
to be used in Arc/Info GIS software. The scale of each quadrangle map
was originally 1:24000. These maps have been significantly reduced in
sized to accomodate a Web browser's screen. The original maps used for
this activity are located online at http://161.119.67.17/gisdata/www/arcinfo/quads.html.
You must have a QuickTime 3.0 (or higher) plug-in in your Web browser's
Plug-In folder to view the QuickTime Virtual Reality (QTVR) movies on
these Web pages. The latest version of QuickTime (plug-in included)
can be downloaded at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/.
Once the movie appears, you can interactively pan left, right, up, or
down simply by clicking and dragging your mouse over the image. To zoom
in or out of the image, use the Control and Shift keys on your keyboard.
Twelve different locations are provided for your exploration. Click
on a location below to begin your exploration.
As you examine the topographic maps and QuickTime Virtual Reality movies,
pay attention to differences in the topography to determine which way
is north.
Credits and Copyright
