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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Maps & Fieldwork

Scale

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

/skeɪl/nounCore term

In geology & earth sciences, scale means: The ratio between a distance on a map and the real distance on the ground. On a 1:25,000 map, 1 cm on paper equals 250 m on the ground.

In Turkish: ölçek, harita ölçeği

How it is used

Shown as a ratio (1:50,000), a scale bar or in words. Read '1:25,000' as 'one to twenty-five thousand'. Field geologists often map at 1:10,000 or 1:25,000. The word also describes the size of what you observe: outcrop scale, regional scale.

Example sentences

  1. We mapped the area at a scale of 1:10,000.

  2. Always include a scale bar on your field sketches.

Common collocations

  • map scale
  • large-scale map
  • small-scale map
  • scale bar
  • at a scale of
  • topographic mapA detailed map that shows the shape and height of the land using contour lines, together with rivers, roads, buildings and other features.
  • geological mapA map that shows which rock units occur at or just below the surface, together with their ages, boundaries, faults, folds and strike and dip measurements.
  • contour lineA line on a map joining points of equal height above sea level. Lines that are close together show a steep slope; widely spaced lines show gentle ground.
  • fieldworkWork done outdoors at real sites, such as observing, measuring, mapping and sampling rocks, soils or rivers, rather than in a laboratory or office.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Maps & Fieldwork

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