The Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor

For much of the twentieth century, the bottom of the ocean was a complete mystery, hidden under kilometres of dark water. Marie Tharp, an American geologist, spent years turning thousands of depth measurements into detailed maps. Because women were not allowed on research ships at the time, she worked mostly from an office, carefully plotting data collected by others. Her maps revealed a giant underwater mountain range and a deep valley running along its centre. At first, many scientists dismissed her findings, but the evidence eventually helped confirm the theory of moving continents. Today she is remembered as one of the pioneers who reshaped our understanding of the planet.