Gentle slope
Topic: Topographical Maps: Relief Representation and Interpretation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Topographical Maps"
Meaning
A gentle slope is ground that rises or falls only a little over a long distance. On a topographical map, it shows as contour lines spaced far apart. Contours are lines that join places of equal height above mean sea level. Because the height gap between contours is fixed, wide spacing means you must walk a long way to climb that height. Gentle slopes suit farming, roads, railways and dense settlement.
Example
The Ganga plain around Mirzapur and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has very gentle slopes. On Survey of India sheet 63K/12, which covers this stretch, the contours lie far apart. Fields, villages and roads spread across the plain.
Don't confuse with
- Concave slope: this is gentle only in its lower part and steep near the top. A gentle slope stays gentle all the way.
- Undulating slope: its contour spacing keeps changing. On a gentle slope the contours are evenly wide apart.
Related concepts
- Contour line
- Contour interval
- Horizontal equivalent
- Steep slope
- Concave slope
- Convex slope
- Undulating slope