Today marks Marie Tharp’s 105Th Birthday. The legacy of groundbreaking geologists and cartographers continues 19 years after her death, nearly half a century after she wrote, and her colleague Bruce Heezen, the first complete map of ocean depth, the first complete map of ocean depth ever to set foot on a ship. (At the time, female scientists were forbidden to travel on research ships.) The map she published in 1977 helped support plate tectonics or continental drift theory, a radical concept.
Tharp began working in 1948 at the Lamont Geological Laboratory (now the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory), a period when female scientists were often discredited. Today, the geoscience community recognizes Tharp as revolutionary cartographers and geologists whose work continues to inspire and inform marine scientists.
To commemorate her birthday, the state of the earth pays homage to Tharp and those who move forward. Learn more about Tharp and current marine research by visiting our Marie Tharp website and viewing the following stories.
Marine geophysicist Vicki Ferrini uses open source data to map the world’s oceans: celebrate World Ocean Day, discussing the current status of ocean research and the important role of international cooperation in this field. Ferrini is also responsible for the Atlantic and Indian Ocean Centers of the Nippon Foundation-Gebco Undersea 2030 Project (Undersea 2030), a global initiative aimed at completing maps of the seabed and providing publicly accessible maps of the seabed by 2030.
Marie Tharp, in her own words, is an adventure in drawing the seabed: The groundbreaking map maker explains how she and her colleagues find the 40,000 miles of mountain range and helps prove the movement of the continent.
Marie Tharp of Lamont: She draws a map that shocks the world: On the occasion of her 100th anniversary, Tharp’s perseverance and glory are as legendary as her works.
How much carbon can the ocean hold? The goal of the Lamont researchers is to find out: Galen McKinley and her team are quantifying the carbon removed from the ocean from the atmosphere, and its fluctuations to better understand climate change.
R/V Marcus G. Langseth helps map the ocean of the world: Lamont-Doherty Earthworks’ R/V Marcus G. Langseth has returned to New York for some much-needed TLC in nearly 9 years. The Earth’s State visited this impressive earthquake ship to learn how to help researchers predict earthquakes and save lives in the process.
Seismic imaging on R/V Marcus G. Langseth: View detailed maps of the seabed using seismic imaging.
8 Surprising facts about Marie Tharp, Mapmaker Extracordinaire: Maybe you already know she created the first map of the seabed and helped discover the plate tectonics. Here are some little-known facts about this historical cartographer.
Pods of Earth 8: Marie Tharp’s Girl Talk: Pods of Earth celebrate Marie Tharp’s life and her past and continue to inspire many.
Google Doodle celebrates Marie Tharp, who paints the seabed: On November 21, 2022, the interactive Google Doodle emphasizes Tharp’s groundbreaking work.
