Prepare for the Besavilla Cartography Exam. Use interactive tools like flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations to enhance your skills. Get exam ready today!

Multiple Choice

Hachures are series of short lines drawn in which direction?

Hachures show relief by using short lines that run along the direction of the slope, i.e., downhill. This orientation mirrors how the land actually descends, so the strokes point in the direction the terrain drops. Because contour lines run perpendicular to the slope, hachures align with the gradient and steadily convey how steeply the ground rises or falls. The density and spacing of these lines tell you how steep the slope is—closer lines mean steeper terrain, wider spacing means gentler slopes. If the lines went across the slope or followed a horizontal direction, they wouldn’t reflect the real slope direction and would mislead about the terrain’s shape.

Hachures show relief by using short lines that run along the direction of the slope, i.e., downhill. This orientation mirrors how the land actually descends, so the strokes point in the direction the terrain drops. Because contour lines run perpendicular to the slope, hachures align with the gradient and steadily convey how steeply the ground rises or falls. The density and spacing of these lines tell you how steep the slope is—closer lines mean steeper terrain, wider spacing means gentler slopes. If the lines went across the slope or followed a horizontal direction, they wouldn’t reflect the real slope direction and would mislead about the terrain’s shape.