Whose research first showed that the ocean floor is not flat but has mountain ranges and deep trenches?
Quick Answer
Marie Tharp’s work, with Bruce Heezen, mapped the ocean floor and revealed features such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and deep-sea trenches. Her maps helped transform geology in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Full Story
Marie Tharp, working with Bruce Heezen at Columbia University, produced groundbreaking maps of the seafloor in the mid-20th century. Her careful interpretation of sonar data showed that the ocean bottom contains continuous mountain chains, deep rift valleys, and trenches. In 1957, her map of the North Atlantic helped reveal the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as part of a global system. The work became crucial evidence for plate tectonics, which was widely accepted in the 1960s.
Key Facts
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"The woman who proved the seafloor had mountains, valleys, and giant scars"
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