Relief Maps

maps that show the relief of the earth’s surface or of the ocean floor. The most common and important relief maps are hypsometric, bathymetric, and geomorphological maps. Besides these there are morphometric maps, which directly show the amount (intensity) and depth of dissection of the terrain as well as the steepness of the slopes. The average width of the elementary drainage basin is usually taken as the index of the amount of dissection of the terrain. The depth of dissection is determined by the average relative elevation of water divides above the level of rivers and lakes.

Less common types are morphographic maps, which show external relief in three dimensions, and physiographic maps, on which relief is indicated by perspective designations in the areas of certain types of terrain. Physiographic maps have been developed most extensively in the United States.