Color graduations on maps, like altitude tint, patterns applied to a map such as cellotints or Ben-Day tints are known as what?

• A. Hues
• B. Tints
• C. Gradients
• D. Shades

Answer: (B)

In cartography, tinting is the technique of applying a wash of color or a pattern to areas of a map to create tonal variation that communicates data like elevation. When you see altitude shown by gradually changing color or use patterns such as cellotints or Ben-Day dots to suggest shading, you’re looking at tints. This is different from just the color itself (hues), a smooth color transition concept (gradients), or darker versions of a color (shades). Tints specifically refer to those color washes or patterned shading used to convey gradual change across an area.