Flexi Says: Marie Tharp (1920-2006) was a pioneering American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who helped produce the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor. Her work mapping the detailed topography and multi-dimensional geographic landscape of the ocean bottom revleaed the presence of a continuous rift valley along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This discovery helped lead to the acceptance of the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift.
