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Geolens

Glossary

417 words used in the labs.

Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.

Term

Equal-area

Also written: Equivalent projection

Describing a projection that preserves the relative areas of regions on a map. Shapes and angles must be distorted to achieve this on a flat surface. Equal-area maps are useful when comparing the size or distribution of geographic regions.

What to look for

NASA satellite imagery reprojected by Strebe into Mollweide. This equal-area projection preserves relative areas but distorts shapes; the ocean has been lightened for legibility.

Related labs

Map projections →
NASA Blue Marble satellite imagery displayed in a Mollweide projection with a graticule.
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Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.