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1. Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 18:43:57 UTC Robert McNees

   Geologist Marie Tharp was born #OTD in 1920.

   She built the first accurate map of the Atlantic Ocean floor, discovering the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that provided evidence for seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.

   Image: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

   • Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 18:48:03 UTC Robert McNees

     in reply to

     At the time of Tharp's discovery, the idea of continental drift was not accepted by most scientists.

     As Tharp put it, "Almost everyone in the United States thought continental drift was impossible."

     But as she assembled her plots, the evidence was right there: A rift valley running along the ridge where new material emerged from within the Earth as the plates on either side moved apart.

   • Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 18:49:24 UTC Robert McNees

     in reply to

     When Tharp showed her results to geologist Bruce Heezen, he dismissed them because they implied continental drift. He initially described her work as "girl talk."

     Heezen, of course, eventually came around. They collaborated for decades, and he championed her work.

     He wrote "What people think the bottom of the ocean looks like, that is, what most scientists and informed laymen think it looks like, is what Marie Tharp thinks it looks like."

   • Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 18:50:41 UTC Robert McNees

     in reply to

     Here is the World Ocean Floor Panorama that Tharp and Heezen produced in 1977. Only one printer in the US could handle such a large job. It was painted by Heinrich Berann, who was famous for his landscapes.

     Image: Marie Tharp Maps LLC, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

   • Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 18:52:10 UTC Robert McNees

     in reply to

     A few years ago the Columbia Climate School put together this fantastic tribute site for the 100th anniversary of Tharp's birth.

     It's worth some of your time today!

     https://marietharp.ldeo.columbia.edu/

   • Robert McNees (mcnees@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 18:56:25 UTC Robert McNees

     in reply to

     Pretty good girl talk, imo.

     Images: Marie Tharp Maps LLC, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Taken from the website "Marie Tharp's Seafloor" by Dr. Vicki Ferrini

   • Katzentratschen (katzentratschen@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 30-Jul-2023 19:03:50 UTC Katzentratschen

     in reply to

     @mcnees Magnificent. There's also a great 3D map of the ocean floor: the so-called "Kieler Weltrelief" from research group "Future Ocean" at Kiel University (Germany).

     https://futureocean.org/en/ausstellungen/ausstellungsmodule/module/interaktive_module/reliefkarte_der_erde.html

     Works quite well in exhibitions.

   • Ricky Reusser (rreusser@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 00:57:54 UTC Ricky Reusser

     in reply to

     @mcnees ooh library of congress has a nice high resolution version: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g9096c.ct003148/

   • Aijaz Ansari (aijaz@mastodon.social)'s status on Monday, 31-Jul-2023 18:52:31 UTC Aijaz Ansari

     in reply to

     @mcnees
     a. That is beautiful
     B. First thought to pop into my head: “Maybe they shouldn’t have printed it at 1:1 scale”

     Yes. I’m a child sometimes. 😀