Whose work first mapped the seafloor topography with sonar?
Quick Answer
Marie Tharp created some of the first detailed maps of the ocean floor in the 1950s. Her work revealed ridges, valleys, and fracture zones that supported plate tectonics.
The Full Story
Marie Tharp, working with Bruce Heezen at Columbia University, helped transform oceanography by mapping the Atlantic seafloor from sonar data in the 1950s and 1960s. Her maps showed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge running down the center of the ocean basin and the long rift valley along its crest. She also identified fracture zones that matched patterns predicted by plate motion. At first, some scientists dismissed her interpretations, but they later became foundational to modern geology.
Key Facts
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"The woman who drew the map that proved the sea floor moves"
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