The elevation range is the subtraction between the maximum and minimum height within the property. It is the number that is read the fastest in the entire relief: a property of 200 hectares with 3 meters of elevation range is a table; the same property with 30 meters has hills and lows.
It says something that the average slope hides. A property can have a 1% average slope and be half a hill and half a low floodplain: the average remains low because the two halves compensate each other. The elevation range shows that range.
Why it matters
- The bass collects water and salt. In the depressed pampas, the difference between the hill and the bottom decides what is planted in each part.
- A large elevation range almost always means that property has different environments, and that it is better to handle them separately.
- For gravity irrigation, the elevation range is what gives the pressure; for pivot irrigation, a large elevation range complicates it.
The elevation range is sensitive to the size of the property: the larger it is, the more chances of finding a high and a low point. Comparing the elevation range of a property of 20 hectares with that of one of 2,000 says nothing. Compare the average slope, yes.