INDEX CONTOUR LINE A bolder/wider brown line that has the elevation value marked at various intervals as a part of the line. These contours typically occur every fifth line. Use an index contour near the point for which you are trying to find the elevation as a first step to determining the elevation of that point. Example of an index contour. This is the basic symbol that you will use to determine the elevation of a feature or location. It is a brown line on a topographic map and represents a line of equal elevation. All locations that a contour lines crosses have the same elevation at that point.