I noticed that within the last few days, Google Maps added a “Terrain” button that shows general elevations by using different shades and shadows. Obviously it has its greatest impact where there are rapids changes in elevation such as mountain or canyons. I’ve had a lot of fun playing around with the feature as in some of the examples below.
[UPDATE: Terrain no longer shows up in embedded Google Maps so you’ll need to select “view larger map” to open them in Google for the full effect]
Mount Rainier rises majestically in western Washington, not too far away from Seattle, towering high above its surrounding plain.
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is equally impressive, this time representing a large drop in elevation from the surrounding plain.
The feature appears in other parts of the world too. Here is Glen “valley” Coe (includes photo) in the Scottish Highlands. Notice how a road snakes through the valley between the two large ridges. Having driven down that road before I can attest to its natural beauty.
Finally, I located Uluru (sometimes called Ayers Rock). This is a large freestanding sandstone icon in the southern part of the Northern Territory, Australia.
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