Subplot & General Mapping Help

GMT newbie here. I need all kinds of help.

I’m trying to put together an introductory figure for a publication, and not having much luck yet.
Ultimately, I’d like a subplot with 2 smaller maps above a larger map. The maps should go from the largest scale (subplot 0,0) with the inset, to slightly smaller scale (subplot 0,1), and finally the larger fully zoomed in smallest scale image (subplot 1,0). I have many pieces to add to the figures (field experiment site boundaries, perspective views, etc), but need to get the basics right first.

I’m having the most trouble controlling things like borders, tick labels, annotations, and colormaps and lighting. As an example, subplot 0,0 is downloaded with the call to @earth_relief and has geographic coords. some of which are plotted backwards. I’d like to have the UTM meters there as well.

How can i move the inset up to the top left?

Why are the 3 plots different sizes? obviously my -Fs flag isn’t correct.

The DEM lighting seems off in all plots and I don’t think I’m getting the best out of the hillshading (-I flag). The original file for the 0,1 and 1,0 subplots is a 10m DEM but my results seem “fuzzy”.

I’m attaching my current script and map output. I think the things I need to fix will be painfully obvious to the experts.

Please pass along any/all suggestions so I can improve this figure.
bcd_gmt.txt (3.1 KB) bcdmap.pdf - Google Drive

If you want to plot small maps over a larger one, then I think you don’t need sublplot but an inset map. Check the example 44.

@Esteban82

I have the inset in the map I’d like it to be in. You can click the link and see what I have currently

I need subplot to make the 3 different maps all on the same figure and am having the other issues I pointed out in my post.

Right. I see the inset. I am not sure but I think that subplot is great to make maps/graph with the same -
R and -J (which is not your case).

I think you could plot map 1 and then use -Y -X to offset the second map (see -Y5c in example 4) and then again for your third map.