A general term for a topographic feature of any size that rises above the adjacent land or the surrounding ocean bottom; a place or station that is elevated. The vertical distance from a datum (usually mean sea level) to a point or object on the Earth's surface; esp. the height of a ground point above the level of the sea. The term is used synonymously with altitude in referring to distance above sea level, but in modern surveying practice the term elevation is preferred to indicate heights on the Earth's surface, whereas altitude is used to indicate the heights of points in space above the Earth's surface.