Appendix – Topographic Map Symbols

A map is a collage of symbols representing features such as elevation (contour lines), water (blue), and vegetation (green). However, there are many types of features that have special symbols. For example, hydrographic features such as lakes, streams, oceans, ponds, and irrigation ditches all have different symbols on a topographic map. To distinguish these, the U.S. Geological Survey has created standard symbols for each feature. Most maps don’t include all of these features, so in general, most topographic maps lack a legend describing all the features. Instead, there are now online lists and printouts of these features. Below are three figures with the standard USGS symbols.

Figure A1. First image of standard USGS map symbols. Image credit: US Geological Survey