Whose work first mapped the age pattern of the ocean floor?
Quick Answer
Marie Tharp, working with Bruce Heezen, made some of the most important maps of the seafloor. Her maps revealed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and central rift valley.
The Full Story
Marie Tharp, an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer, produced detailed maps of the ocean floor in the 1950s and 1960s with Bruce Heezen. Her interpretations revealed a continuous mountain chain in the Atlantic Ocean and a central rift valley, both crucial evidence for seafloor spreading. Tharp’s work was initially discounted in part because she was a woman, but it later became foundational to marine geology. Her maps changed how scientists visualize Earth’s hidden surface.
Key Facts
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"The woman who drew the ocean floor"
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