Layer tints
Also called: Layer colouring · Topic: Topographical Maps: Relief Representation and Interpretation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Topographical Maps"
Meaning
Layer tints (also called layer colouring) show relief by giving each height zone its own colour. A height zone is the land between two chosen heights. Greens are used for lowlands, yellows and browns for higher land, and white for snow. Blue shades show water depths in the sea. The colours let a reader see at a glance where the land is low and where it is high.
Example
On a physical map of India in a school atlas, the Indo-Gangetic plain is shown in green. The Deccan Plateau is shaded yellow and light brown. The snowy peaks of the Himalaya are white, and the Bay of Bengal is in shades of blue.
Don't confuse with
- Colours on a toposheet: on Survey of India topographical sheets, yellow means cultivated land and green means forest. These colours show land use, not height.