Discover Marie Tharp: Top 12 Amazing Fun Facts About the Groundbreaking Female Oceanographer

1. Google Ocean's Pool Party Pioneer

Before Marie Tharp made oceanography cool and dove into the deep end of scientific discoveries, she was busy mapping the way to the ultimate pool party at the bottom of the sea: Tharp uncovered the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the 1950s, providing key evidence for the theory of continental drift with her meticulously hand-drawn maps of the ocean floor. Now proudly displayed on Google Ocean, these maps show a world below the waves that was previously unfathomable – but let's not get it twisted, Marie wasn't in cahoots with Google since they didn't even exist in her time!
Source => ocean.si.edu

2. Earth-shattering DJ Marie

If Marie Tharp were a DJ, she'd be dropping some serious Earth-shattering beats: This trailblazing geologist, whose career spun over three decades, created the first-ever map of the ocean floor, revealing mid-ocean ridges and supporting plate tectonics. Not one to be sunk by gender barriers, Marie's oceanic tunes even granted her the distinguished Hubbard Medal from the National Geographic Society in 1977 – making her the first woman to snag such an honor!
Source => marietharp.ldeo.columbia.edu

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=> Fun Facts about The-Ocean

3. Depth-obsessed Geological Rockstar

Marie Tharp may not have been the life of the party due to her obsession with depths, but little did people know that her maps would make waves in the world of geology: Tharp, through analyzing ship soundings and collaborating with Bruce Heezen, created groundbreaking ocean floor maps that helped prove the theory of continental drift, despite facing gender bias and underappreciation in her field.
Source => nytimes.com

4. Flipping the Map and Critics

While Marie Tharp might have been considered "flipping the bird" to critics in her time, she was actually flipping the map: This trailblazing geologist and cartographer created the first comprehensive map of the ocean floor, helping to confirm the continental drift theory and revolutionizing our understanding of Earth's geology.
Source => blogs.loc.gov

5. "Ocean-floored" Pioneer Marie

Marie Tharp, a true "ocean-floored" pioneer, was definitely not all washed up when she made waves in the geological world: Her remarkable mapping of the Atlantic and other ocean floors unveiled previously unknown mid-ocean ridges and topographical features, ultimately leading to the revolutionary theory of plate tectonics and transforming our understanding of Earth's geological processes.
Source => marietharp.ldeo.columbia.edu

6. Glass Ceiling and Seabed Breaking Tharp

Marie Tharp, breaking glass ceilings and seabeds: This tenacious oceanographer dove headfirst into a male-dominated field to prove that the ocean floors had wrinkles too, as she discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, catalyzing our modern understanding of plate tectonics and continental drift. Her perseverance not only secured her as a pivotal figure in oceanography but also as the first woman to win the prestigious Vetlesen Prize in geoscience.
Source => robschamberger.com

7. Indiana Jones of Oceanography

Marie Tharp was like the Indiana Jones of oceanography: She dove deep into uncharted territories navigating through the murky waters of mystery, battling the belittling beasts of skepticism, and delving into depths which were previously splashed with ridicule – all using her trusty "Map of the Unknown" (not to be confused with the Marauder's Map): Tharp's hard work and intellect enabled her to create the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor, unveiling the existence of a continuous rift valley along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, affirming the tectonic plate theory, and earning her well-deserved accolades such as the Hubbard Medal and the Mary Sears Woman Pioneer in Oceanography Award.
Source => web.whoi.edu

8. Marie's National Geographic Collab-Renaissance

While Marie Tharp was busy parting the seas like a cartographic Moses, she was also setting the stage for her Renaissance with a National Geographic collab: Teaming up with Bruce Heezen and Austrian painter Heinrich Berann between 1967 and 1971, Tharp's groundbreaking physiographic mapping method gave rise to stunning poster-sized ocean floor illustrations that reached millions, putting the 'awe' in the beauty beneath our watery depths.
Source => sciencenews.org

9. Underwater Blockbuster Set Design

If the ocean floor were a blockbuster film, Marie Tharp would be its award-winning set designer, revealing a seascape full of mountains, ridges, and canyons worthy of an underwater Indiana Jones adventure: Tharp's map of the Atlantic, published in 1957 with her colleague Bruce Heezen, uncovered the existence of the mid-ocean ridges that stretch over 40,000 miles around Earth, and her work ultimately played a crucial role in proving the theory of plate tectonics, transforming our understanding of how continents are formed and Earth's geology evolves.
Source => marietharp.ldeo.columbia.edu

10. Chart-topping STEM Virtuoso

From English lullabies to oceanic adventures: Marie Tharp composed her way through the unfathomable deep blue by creating a chart-topping masterpiece – the first-ever map of the ocean floor. This STEM virtuoso earned two master's degrees in geology and mathematics after initially humming along to English and music, eventually parting the inky waters to reveal the secrets of the ocean depths, paving the way for modern oceanography and showing that 1940s' ladies had a lot more to chart than just their lipstick shades.
Source => nga.mil

11. Tharp's Melodious Cartography Background

Before she was rocking the world with her groundbreaking cartography skills, Marie Tharp was literally hitting the right notes: A multi-talented genius, Tharp had bachelor's degrees in English and music from Ohio University, with four minors to boot, and even played the piano to unwind and serenade her seafloor maps.
Source => wednesdayswomen.com

12. Ponder the Ocean Floor's Hidden Wonders

Before you "sea" the floor, take a moment to ponder: Could the ocean possibly be hiding something beneath those rolling waves, something as vast and majestic as a mountain range stretching over 40,000 miles around the world? Behold the marvelous work of Marie Tharp: A true pioneer in the field, she dove into the depths of the theory of plate tectonics and helped us navigate to the discovery that our seafloor is indeed teeming with an underwater world of canyons, ridges, and mountains.
Source => marietharp.ldeo.columbia.edu