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Posted on April 19, 2022 (Updated on July 9, 2025)

What is a spur in land navigation?

Natural Environments

A spur is a lateral ridge or tongue of land descending from a hill, mountain or main crest of a ridge.

What is a spur on the map?

Ridge (Also: Arete or Spur) – A continuous elevated terrain with sloping sides. In the map represented by “U” or “V” shaped contour lines where the higher ground is in the wide opening. Arete is a narrow ridge and a Spur is a smaller ridge branching off a summit or a main ridge.

How can you tell if a map is a spur?

You can spot a spur on the map quite easily – it looks like a long, narrow tongue of contour lines, dropping away from a mountain top or a ridge. Usually its sides will be quite steep, but its top will slope gently downwards.

What is the difference between a draw and a spur?

If you are standing in a draw, the ground slopes upwards in three directions and downward in the other direction. The contour lines depicting a draw are U-shaped or V-shaped, pointing toward high ground. Spur – A spur is a short, continuous sloping line of higher ground, normally jutting out from the side of a ridge.

What is the difference between a spur and a valley?

A spur is a ‘V’-shaped hill that juts out. A simple way to tell a valley from a spur when looking at contour lines is to remember that if the ‘V’ points uphill it’s a valley, if it points downhill it’s a spur.

How is a spur formed?

As the river erodes the landscape in the upper course, it winds and bends to avoid areas of hard rock. This creates interlocking spurs, which look a bit like the interlocking parts of a zip. When a river runs over alternating layers of hard and soft rock, rapids and waterfalls may form.

What’s the difference between ridge and spur?

Ridge (Also: Arete or Spur) – A continuous elevated terrain with sloping sides. In the map represented by “U” or “V” shaped contour lines where the higher ground is in the wide opening. Arete is a narrow ridge and a Spur is a smaller ridge branching off a summit or a main ridge.

How do contour lines indicate a spur?

A spur is often formed by two roughly parallel streams cutting draws down the side of a ridge. The ground will slope down in three directions and up in one. Contour lines on a map depict a spur with the U or V pointing away from high ground.

How does a ridge look like?

On a map, a ridge is depicted as two contour lines (often of the same contour) running side by side at the same elevation for some distance. When the lines diverge, the ridge is either flattening out to a high plateau or continues to rise with additional contour lines.

How far should a metal be from a compass?

Effects of Metal and Electricity.



However, nonmagnetic metals and alloys do not affect compass readings. The following separation distances are suggested to ensure proper functioning of a compass: High-tension power lines …………………………………………. 55 meters.

What type of compass is best?

The best compasses to keep you on target no matter what

Best Overall Suunto M-3 Compass CHECK LATEST PRICE
Best Value Brunton TruArc3 Baseplate Compass CHECK LATEST PRICE
Editor’s Choice Suunto MC-3 Compass CHECK LATEST PRICE


What compass does the British army use?

The M-73 Liquid Prismatic Compass is a robust, precision instrument of predominantly brass construction, designed to withstand the most arduous climatic conditions. Quick, precise settlement of the liquid filled dial assembly allows rapid use of the compass in field conditions.

How do you take a compass bearing on a map?

Quote from video:Two so now all I need to do is to line up my needle with the lines inside the bezel. Look down the direction of travel arrow. And pick a landmark. And I walk towards it.

What is the difference between true bearing and compass bearing?

What are Compass Bearings and True Bearings? Compass bearings use the four directions on a compass in order to find the direction of one object from another. An example is N20°E. True bearings use the number of degrees measured clockwise from north an object is.

Who would use a compass?

Function. Besides navigation, the compass is used in building and construction for marking landmarks and borders, and to measure horizontal lines and vertical lines for maps. The compass is a valuable tool used in the U.S. military, as well as in mining to assist in underground navigation.

How do you walk on a compass bearing?

Quote from video:Make sure it's pointing directly ahead of you grasp. It in both hands and lock your elbows into the side of your body so effectively that compass is locked.

How do you take a compass bearing without a map?

Take a Bearing



If you can see your destination: Hold the compass flat in your hand and point the direction of travel arrow at the destination. Rotate the housing to align the pointed end of the north arrow with the red end of the magnetic needle. Read the bearing at the index line (e.g., 148 degrees).

How do you find north using a compass?

Quote from video:And a compass to determine true north holding the compass steady and level the needle quickly locates magnetic north rotating the compass we can align north on the dial with the needle.

What is the compass rose?

A compass rose is a symbol on a map that shows the cardinal directions. The cardinal directions are the main compass points—north, south, east, and west. Some more elaborate compass roses show additional directions.

What are the 32 points of a compass called?

Naming all 32 points on the rose is called “boxing the compass“. The 32-point rose has 11 1⁄4° between points, but is easily found by halving divisions and may have been easier for those not using a 360° circle.

What is an 8 point compass rose?

8-point compass roses us the eight principal winds—that is, the four cardinal directions (N, E, S, W) plus the four “intercardinal” or “ordinal directions” (NE, SE, SW, NW), at angles of difference of 45°.

What is the difference between compass and compass rose?

A compass is a tool that can tell you what direction you are going, and a compass rose is a drawing on a map that tells you the directions of places shown on the map.

What is cardinal direction?

Cardinal directions are one set of directions that people around the world use. The four cardinal directions are north, south, east and west. These directions use the rising and setting of the sun as reference points. Because the Earth rotates from west to east, the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west.

What is the Centre of a compass called?

The red and black arrow is called the compass needle. On some compasses it might be red and white for instance, but the point is, the red part of it is always pointing towards the earth’s magnetic north pole. There is a turn able thing on your compass called the Compass housing.

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