A valley is depicted by contour lines shaped as?

• A. Concentric circles
• B. Hourglass
• C. Tick marks
• D. U or V shaped

Answer: (D)

Contour lines show how elevation changes across the land, and a valley forms where elevation dips toward the valley floor on both sides. As you move across the map through that low area, the lines bend toward the valley axis, creating a V or a shallow U shape with the point of the V (or the open end of the U) oriented toward higher ground upstream. That pattern distinguishes valleys from hills (which show concentric circles around a high point) and from saddles or passes (which can look like an hourglass). So valleys are depicted by contour lines that form a V or U shape.