What does the Declination Diagram indicate?

What does the Declination Diagram indicate?

• A. The angular relationships of true north, grid north, and magnetic north
• B. The distance between contour lines
• C. The symbol colors on the map
• D. The location of the adjoining sheets

Answer: (A)

The Declination Diagram shows the angular relationships between true north, grid north, and magnetic north. This is important because a map uses a grid aligned with the earth, while a compass points to magnetic north, and true north is the geographic north pole. The diagram provides the two key angles you use when adjusting bearings: magnetic declination (the angle between true north and magnetic north) and grid convergence (the angle between true north and grid north). With these, you can convert bearings between compass readings, map grid bearings, and true bearings to navigate accurately. The other map features described—distance between contour lines, symbol colors, and location of adjoining sheets—refer to contour intervals, map symbology, and map index respectively, and are not what the Declination Diagram conveys.

The Declination Diagram shows the angular relationships between true north, grid north, and magnetic north. This is important because a map uses a grid aligned with the earth, while a compass points to magnetic north, and true north is the geographic north pole. The diagram provides the two key angles you use when adjusting bearings: magnetic declination (the angle between true north and magnetic north) and grid convergence (the angle between true north and grid north). With these, you can convert bearings between compass readings, map grid bearings, and true bearings to navigate accurately.

The other map features described—distance between contour lines, symbol colors, and location of adjoining sheets—refer to contour intervals, map symbology, and map index respectively, and are not what the Declination Diagram conveys.