Lecture Notes: Map Reading and Land Navigation

Introduction

• Speaker: Josh, "The Great Bearded Green Beret"
• Topic: Basic map reading and land navigation
• Focus: Identifying terrain features on maps and on the ground

Terrain Features

Major Terrain Features

1. Hill

   • Area of high ground
   • Depicted by contour lines forming concentric circles
   • Hilltop: the innermost circle
   • Ground slopes down in every direction from the hilltop

2. Valley

   • Low area with high ground on three sides
   • Often has streams or rivers running through
   • Wide space between contour lines

3. Ridge

   • Elongated high ground
   • V-shaped or U-shaped contour lines pointing towards lower ground
   • Low ground slopes off in three directions

4. Saddle

   • Dip or low point between two areas of high ground
   • High ground in two directions, low ground in the other two
   • Depicted by figure-eight or hourglass contour lines

5. Depression

   • Low spot, like a sinkhole
   • Closed concentric circles with tick marks pointing inward
   • May contain water

Minor Terrain Features

1. Draw

   • Small-scale valley
   • High ground on three sides, low ground in one direction
   • V-shaped or U-shaped contour lines pointing upstream

2. Spur

   • High ground projecting from a ridge
   • Formed between two draws
   • U-shaped or V-shaped contour lines pointing towards lower ground

3. Cliff

   • Near vertical or very steep terrain
   • Contour lines very close together or touching
   • Indicates significant elevation change

4. Cut and Fill (Man-made)

   • Along roads/railroads to level terrain
   • Cut: Tick marks on contour lines indicate lower ground
   • Fill: Tick marks face towards lower ground, showing fill

Memorization Tips

• Major features: "Hidden Valley Ranch" - Hill, Valley, Ridge, Saddle, Depression
• Minor features: No current acronym (Suggestions welcome)

Conclusion

• Encouragement to subscribe and click the notification bell for more content
• Series will continue to cover more topics in map reading and land navigation

Final Note

• Remember: "Don't get lost!" until next time.