Quadrangle (geography)

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New York (Essex County) Mt. Marcy: an 1892 USGS quadrangle map (or topographic sheet) of the Mount Marcy area of the Adirondacks in New York State from the first decades of the United States Geological Survey. Mount Marcy New York USGS topo map 1892.jpg
New York (Essex County) Mt. Marcy: an 1892 USGS quadrangle map (or topographic sheet) of the Mount Marcy area of the Adirondacks in New York State from the first decades of the United States Geological Survey.

A "quadrangle" is a topographic map produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) covering the United States. The maps are usually named after local physiographic features. The shorthand "quad" is also used, especially with the name of the map; for example, "the Ranger Creek, Texas quad". A quadrangle is defined by north and south boundaries of constant latitude (which are not great circles so are curved), and by east and west boundaries of constant longitude.

From approximately 1947–1992, the USGS produced the 7.5 minute series, with each map covering an area one-quarter of the older 15-minute quad series, which it replaced. [1] A 7.5 minute quadrangle map covers an area of 49 to 70 square miles (130 to 180 km2). [2] Both map series were produced via photogrammetric analysis of aerial photography using stereoplotters supplemented by field surveys. These maps employ the 1927 North American Datum (NAD27); conversion or a change in settings is necessary when using a GPS which by default employ the WGS84 geodetic datum. Beginning in 2009, the USGS made available digital versions of 7.5 minute quadrangle maps based on GIS data that use the NAD83 datum, which is typically within one meter of WGS84, or within the uncertainty of most GPS coordinate measurements. The USGS also produces quarter quadrangle (QQ) maps of areas 3.75 minutes square. [3] [4] [5]

The surfaces of other planets have also been divided into quadrangles by the USGS. Martian quadrangles are also named after local features. [6]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Geodetic System</span> Geodetic reference system

The World Geodetic System (WGS) is a standard used in cartography, geodesy, and satellite navigation including GPS. The current version, WGS 84, defines an Earth-centered, Earth-fixed coordinate system and a geodetic datum, and also describes the associated Earth Gravitational Model (EGM) and World Magnetic Model (WMM). The standard is published and maintained by the United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Jefferson (Madison County, Montana)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geodetic datum</span> Reference frame for measuring location

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The Bryan Mountains are a small mountain range in the northwestern Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona. The range is located in southeastern Yuma County, about 75 mi (121 km) southeast of Yuma and about 35 mi (56 km) west of Ajo. The range is approximately ten miles long and about three miles wide at its widest point. The highpoint of the range is 1,794 feet above sea level and is located at 32°18'27"N, 113°22'46"W. The range is located entirely within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital line graph</span>

A Digital Line Graph (DLG) is a cartographic map feature represented in digital vector form that is distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). DLGs are collected from USGS maps and are distributed in large, intermediate and small scale with up to nine different categories of features, depending on the scale. They come in optional and Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) format and are topologically structured for use in mapping and geographic information system (GIS) applications.

The Agua Dulce Mountains are a mountain range in the north-central Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona. The range is located in the extreme southwestern portion of Pima County, Arizona, immediately north of the international boundary with Mexico and about 30 mi (48 km) southwest of Ajo, Arizona. The range has three main sections that total about 15 miles in length and about nine miles in width. The range is located entirely within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The highpoint of the range is 2,852 feet (869 m) above sea level and is located at 32°01'32"N, 113°08'44"W. The summit is unnamed, but is marked on U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps for the "Quitovaquita" benchmark that was placed on the summit in 1920. The original surveyed height was 2,850 feet above sea level, but recent datum adjustments calculate the summit to be two feet higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anseris Mons</span> Martian mountain

Anseris Mons is an isolated massif (mountain) in the southern highlands of Mars, located at the northeastern edge of Hellas Planitia at longitude 86.65°E and latitude 29.81°S. The mountain is 58 km (36 mi) in diameter and rises to an elevation of approximately 4,200 m (13,780 ft) above datum or about 6,200 m (20,300 ft) above the surrounding plains. The mountain lies in the southeastern quarter of the Iapygia quadrangle (MC-21), straddling the boundary with the adjoining Hellas quadrangle (MC-28) to the south.

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Cruls is an impact crater in the Eridania quadrangle on Mars at 42.91° S and 163.03° E. and is 87.89 km in diameter. Its name was assigned in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union, in honor of Brazilian astronomer Luís Cruls. Evidence of previous glacial activity is evident in images.

References

  1. "Topographic Maps". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  2. Map Scales, Fact Sheet FS105-02, (February 2002)
  3. "Quarter Quad of Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQs) Color" . Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  4. "USGS 3.75 minute quarter quadrangle boundaries" . Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  5. "3.75' 1:12,000 Quarter Quadrangle Index" . Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  6. Morton, Oliver (2002). Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World . New York: Picador USA. pp.  98. ISBN   0-312-24551-3.