Marie Tharp honoured by Google Doodle, know WHY she was declared one of the greatest cartographers

Google today honoured Marie Tharp, an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer, by dedicating a Google Doodle. Tharp helped prove theories of continental drift, and is named one of the greatest cartographers of the 20th century by the Library of the Congress. She also co-published the first world map of the ocean floors, as per the Times of India.

Tharp’s story is narrated by Caitlyn Larsen, Rebecca Nesel, and Dr Tiara Moore in today’s doddle. The three women are currently living out Tharp’s legacy by making strides in the traditionally male-dominated ocean science and geology spaces.

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Marie Tharp was introduced to mapmaking by her father, who used to work for the U.S Department of Agriculture. She pursued her master’s degree from the University of Michigan in petroleum technology. This itself was a remarkable feat because a few women pursued science during this period. Tharp also became the first woman to work at the Lamont Geological Observatory where she met geologist Bruce Heezen.

Google page dedicated to Tharp says that when she discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Heezen dismissed them as “girl talk”; however, when they compared these V-shaped rifts with earthquake epicentre maps, Heezen could not ignore the facts.

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In 1957, Tharp andHeezen co-published the first map of the ocean floor in the North Atlantic; and in 1995, Tharp donated her entire map collection to the Library of Congress.

(With inputs from agencies)