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Objective: You will be able to use gradients to find steep parts of a map. You will also be able to identify uses for gradient in other situations.
Objective: You will be able to use gradients to find steep parts of a map. You will also be able to identify uses for gradient in other situations.
The image above left is of the Shawangunk Ridge, a popular rock-climbing location in the Catskills. The area is known for its excellent rock composition, as well as how close it is to major cities.
The map above shows the Shawangunk Ridge (the Gunks) from above. The area most popular for climbing is on the Southeast side of the ridge.
Gradient is an important concept in Earth Science. Gradient measures the change in field value over a particular distance. The field value of the measurement could be almost anything - from the height of a particular location to its temperature. This helps to give us an idea of how steep a particular slope is, or how quickly a particular value is changing. Let's take a look at some examples.
In the image at right, we can see a different area, around Buck River. Location D is at a height of 2000 feet. Location C is at a height o 1500 feet. C is approximately 3 miles from D. To find the gradient, find the change in field value (in this case feet), and divide by the distance between the two.
(2000 ft - 1500 ft)/3 miles = 500 ft / 3 miles = 166.67 feet per mile
Similarly, Location A and Location D are both at 1500 feet. They are located 5.5 miles from one another.
(1500 feet - 1500 feet)/5.5 miles = 0 feet / 5.5 miles = 0 feet per mile
Comparing these two locations shows us that, on average, hiking from A to B would not be as steep as hiking from C to D; A and B are both at the same elevation, while there is significant change between C and D. The higher the gradient, the steeper the slope!
But what would be more strenuous: hiking from Buck River to Point C, or hiking from Point C to Point D?
Try the following problems on your own. Then, complete the questions for your island!
1. Calculate the stream gradient between the locations of rock sample A and rock sample C.
2. Calculate the gradient of the lake bottom between C and D. Label your answer with the correct units.
3. What is a possible depth for location E?
4. What evidence shows that the southern section of the bottom of Lake Ontario has the steepest slope?
5. Calculate the gradient between A and B. Label your answer with correct units.
6. The area where the Green River begins (near point A) is called "Green River Peak." Which side of Green River Peak is the steepest?
Finally, you will need to calculate some gradients on your island. To do this, you will need to:
- Decide upon the scale of your island - how big will 1 mile be? Make sure to include a scale.
- Draw 5 different straight lines across your island. These will represent hiking paths for visitors on your island. Your hiking paths should have a variety of different lengths and difficulties (gradients)
- Give each hiking trail a name!
- Calculate the gradient of each of your 5 hiking trails. Use these gradients to order your hiking trails from most difficult to least difficult!
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