AlfredWegenerduringa-3expeditiontoGreenland.Credit:AlfredWegenerInstitute,viaWikimediaCommons
TheEarthInstitute’sStateofthePlanetblogrecentlyfeaturedastoryheadlined“8SurprisingFactsAboutMarieTharp,MapmakerExtraordinaire”.
Theinstitute,partofNewYork’sColumbiaUniversity,wascelebratingthecentenaryofthebirthoftheAmericangeologistandoceanographiccartographerwhospentmostofhercareerworkingatColumbia’sLamontGeologicalObservatory.
Beginningintheearlys,Tharp,whodiedon3August,“createdsomeoftheworld’sfirstmapsoftheoceanfloor”,theblogsays.
Herworkledtotheacceptanceoftheconceptsofplatetectonicsandcontinentaldrift,andaaaboutherinSmithsonianMagazinewasheadlined:“Seeingisbelieving:HowMarieTharpchangedgeologyforever”.
ItdescribeshowTharp’sfindingswereinitiallydisbelievedandevenridiculed.Oneofherresearchpartners,geologistBruceHeezen,rejectedherideasas“girltalk”.
Heezen,whowouldeventually