Click here for a list of related links about Dawn's career. Check out previous featured careers. Contact Us Maps and Locations on the Earth Topographic and Bathymetric Maps Topographic maps show the elevation of Earth's surface above mean sea level. Bathymetry maps show water depth or depth of the seafloor below mean sea level. An example of a three dimensional bathymetry map is shown in the figure at the right.
Colors represent water depths.
Reds and yellows are shallow, blues are deep. Some maps have contours on them. On a topographic map, contours are lines of equal elevation. On a bathymetry map, contours are lines of equal water depth. A contour map of the submarine ridge shown in three dimensions above is presented in the figure to the left.