Topographic Map Search

[Tosha Dickason]

Getyour topographic maps here! The latest version of topoView includes both current and historical maps and is full of enhancements based on hundreds of your comments and suggestions. Let us know how we can continue to improve access to the USGS topographic map collection.

This interface was created by the National Geologic Map Database project (NGMDB), in support of the topographic mapping program, managed by the USGS National Geospatial Program (NGP). Geologic and topographic mapping have a long tradition together (see 1888 report). The NGMDB project is proud to assist the NGP in bringing these maps to the Web.

US Topo Series added to topoView

We've added the US Topo series to topoView, giving users access to over 3 million downloadable files from 2009 to the present day. The US Topo series is a latest generation of topographic maps modeled on the USGS historical 7.5-minute series (created from 1947-1992). Like the historical topographic mapping collection, we've added a variety of file formats previously unavailable for the US Topo series, including GeoTIFF and KMZ.

New functionality driven by your feedback

The latest version of topoView is full of enhancements based on hundreds of your comments and suggestions. We've added the ability to preview maps within the interface and give you tools to compare any historical map with maps of the present. Filters and searches work seamlessly with the map records table to get you the info you need with fewer clicks. Accessing the information you need is easier and quicker than ever. As always, your feedback is important to us so don't hesitate to let us know what you'd like to see in future releases!

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Landscapes are shaped by the uplift, deformation and breakdown of bedrock and the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment. Life is important in all of these processes. Over short timescales, the impact of life is quite apparent: rock weathering, soil formation and erosion, slope stability and river dynamics are directly influenced by biotic processes that mediate chemical reactions, dilate soil, disrupt the ground surface and add strength with a weave of roots. Over geologic time, biotic effects are less obvious but equally important: biota affect climate, and climatic conditions dictate the mechanisms and rates of erosion that control topographic evolution. Apart from the obvious influence of humans, does the resulting landscape bear an unmistakable stamp of life? The influence of life on topography is a topic that has remained largely unexplored. Erosion laws that explicitly include biotic effects are needed to explore how intrinsically small-scale biotic processes can influence the form of entire landscapes, and to determine whether these processes create a distinctive topography.

Many colleagues offered advice and direction in preparation of this review, especially I. Fung, D. Schrag, N. Sleep, L. Sklar and L. Kump. A. Howard, D. Furbish, M. Power and G. Hilley gave comments on earlier drafts of the paper. M. Gabet made several suggestions. A. Kleidon shared unpublished data. N. Snyder and the NSF National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping provided the topographic data for Death Valley. Aspects of this work were supported by the NSF National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, and NASA (for work in the Atacama Desert with R. Amundson).

Much of the Earth's land surface is blanketed with life, which strongly influences the processes shaping landscape; yet recent images reveal striking similarity between landforms on Mars and those on Earth. This raises a fascinating question: if we take a high-resolution topographic map and eliminate obvious signs of life from it, can we tell from topography alone that there is life on Earth? Bill Dietrich and Taylor Perron discuss our current understanding of the influence of biota on the processes controlling landscape form and evolution. They conclude that, while biotic processes affect landscape features at all scales, we cannot point to a landform that uniquely reflects the presence of life. A lifeless Earth would look different, but the difference would lie in the frequency distribution of certain landform properties. On the cover, clumps of vegetation introduce irregularities into a field of migrating sand ripples in Chile, but not in a uniquely life-dependent way.

1. The Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC) is the set of scanned images of USGS topographic quadrangle maps originally published as paper documents in the period 1884-2006. Visit Historical Topographic Maps - Preserving the Past for more information.

2. US Topo is the current USGS topographic map series for the Nation. These are modeled on the legacy 7.5-minute maps, but are mass-produced from GIS databases of The National Map and published as digital documents. Please visit US Topo: Maps for America for full details.

US Topo map production is transitioning away from a static 3-year refresh cycle. Nevertheless, maps will continue to be updated and published annually. Areas experiencing significant change since the last published map will be reproduced.

Click here see the most up-to-date US Topo production schedule.

Thank you for your patience as we make this adjustment to better meet the needs of our users. More information will be shared as we finalize our new production cycles. Want the best available National Map data on a custom, on-demand, USGS topographic map?

Click here to learn about topoBuilder and OnDemand Topos.

3. OnDemand Topos are USGS-style topographic maps created using the topoBuilder application. These maps are generated upon request using the best available data from The National Map and offer customizations such as choice of format, area of interest, and National Map content. Learn more at the topoBuilder landing page.

The newest USGS topo map web app gives the public the opportunity to create custom topographic maps on demand. The online application is called topoBuilder and the output maps are known as OnDemand Topos.

topoBuilder is a public web application released by the National Geospatial Program that enables users to request customized USGS-style topographic maps, known as an OnDemand Topo, that utilize the best available data from The National Map.

Historically, USGS topographic maps were made using data from primary sources including direct field observations. Those maps were compiled, drawn, and edited by hand. By today's standards, those traditional methods are very expensive and time-consuming, and the USGS no longer has funding to make maps that way. A new USGS topographic map series was launched in 2009 and branded " US Topo ." Though...

TopoView highlights one of the USGS's most important and useful products, the topographic map. In 1879, the USGS began to map the Nation's topography. This mapping was done at different levels of detail, to support various land use and other purposes. As the years passed, the USGS produced new map versions of each area. TopoView shows the many and varied topographic maps of each of these areas through history. This can be particularly useful for historical purposes, such as finding the names of natural and cultural features that have changed over time.

This interface was created by the National Geologic Map Database project (NGMDB), in support of topographic mapping program managed by the National Geospatial Program (NGP). Geologic mapping and topographic mapping at the USGS have a long tradition together (see 1888 report). The NGMDB project is proud to assist the NGP in bringing these maps to the Web.

The goal of the HTMC, which started in 2011, is to provide a digital repository of USGS 1:250,000 scale and larger (more detailed) maps printed between 1884 (the inception of the topographic mapping program), and 2006. Currently, there are more than 178,000 maps in the HTMC and the collection continues to grow. NGP is accurately cataloging and creating metadata to accompany high-resolution, georeferenced digital files of each of these printed maps.

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