Horizontal
When a V-shaped contour line points downhill, it means that the contour line is under very low elevation. And incase your wondering about when the contour line is uphill, it means that the elevation level is very high.
Contours can intersect if you have an overhang. If there is a vertical drop, the contours will touch but not cross one another.
Presumably the questions refer to contour lines. If that is the case, the answer is as follows: Contour lines are lines drawn at selected heights on a map. They are lines that join points at the same height above the meas sea level. A gentle slope is one that does not rise (or fall) as rapidly as a steep slope. That is to say, you have to travel a greater horizontal distance to gain (lose) the same amount of vertical distance or height. So, with a gentle slope, you have to travel a greater distance to get from one contour to the next and so the lines are less close together.
A contour line (also known as isopleth) on a topographic map connects points of equal elevation or depth. The steepest way up or down is in the direction perpendicular to the contour line at any given point. This gradient on a topographic map is at its greatest when the lines are close together, thus the slope is steepest. Note that a contour map does not have to be topographic. Any value mapped in two or three dimensions such as temperature, barometric pressure, or wind speed can have contour lines connecting adjacent points of equal value. Again, moving away from a contour line in a perpendicular direction will yield the greatest change in the value of the quality being recorded.
Each contour line represents a different elevation. If they touched at any point, that would mean that point would have 2 different elevations at once, which doesn't make any sense. They can get really close if there is a steep drop, but they never touch. +++ They can never cross but they converge as the represented ground steepens, so they touch in appearance on paper when representing a vertical face of height at least equal to the difference between two consecutive lines.
Contour lines that touch or overlap on a topographic map indicate a
it connects to the points of Hawaii and Alaska
Closely spaced contour lines indicate a steep slope because they represent an area where the elevation changes rapidly over a short horizontal distance. The closer the contour lines are to each other, the steeper the slope. In contrast, widely spaced contour lines indicate a gradual slope where the elevation changes more gradually over a longer horizontal distance.
Lines that are very close together or touching indicate very steep terrain, perhaps even a cliff.
Contour lines that touch or overlap on a topographic map indicate a sharp change in elevation, representing a steep slope or a vertical feature like a cliff or a ridge. These clustered contour lines help visualize the terrain's three-dimensional shape and can warn hikers of challenging topography.
topographic
Topographic Map
To find the gradient on a contour map, you calculate the change in elevation between two contour lines and divide it by the distance between them. This will give you the rate of change of the elevation or slope at that point on the map.
Contour lines are typically labeled with their elevation, indicating the vertical distance above a reference point, such as sea level. This allows users to easily determine the elevation profile of the land or terrain represented on a map.
Contour lines that are far apart indicate gradual slopes, while contour lines that are close together indicate steep slopes.
The numbers of contour lines indicate altitude or elevation along that line.
On a topographic map, contour lines that are closer together indicate a steeper slope.