Lab 1: Awesome Maps

The above maps, created by the National Resource Conservation Service, show the distribution of different soils throughout the US and the world. Each of the 14 different colors indicate a different type of dominant soil order. There are over 40,000 different types of soils in the world! The map of the US is interesting because the large green area in the middle indicates the extent of a very important soil called a mollisol. It is a highly fertile grassland soil and the reason the midwest is known as the breadbasket of America. Both of these maps are important for understanding the distribution of soils from a small to larger scale. This knowledge becomes increasingly important when applied to other environmental factors. (source: http://soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/mapindex/index.html)

This map, created by the U.S. Geological Survey, illustrates the baythemtry of Santa Monica Bay. The Santa Monica Submarine Canyon and Redondo Submarine Canyon are major mechanisms of sedimentation loss within the region. This map is interesting because it give spatial perspective on the size and depth of the submarine canyons. The lines are further apart in the Santa Monica Canyon indicating a low gradient decline over a longer distance, while the Redondo Canyon shows a rapid decline in sea floor elevation.
(source: http://www.mbari.org/news/homepage/2005/socal-canyons.html)

The Disneyland California map depicts the happiest place on earth! It is purely landmark based. The use of color and pictorial representation of points of interest create the content of the map. The significance of North and South are instantly diminished and spatial relationship between attractions become the measure of direction. This map interests me because Disneyland played a large role in my childhood and is a great example of a place where a mental map would be based purely on sensory experience. (source: http://www.disneydreamer.com/disneyland/sounds.htm)