This Doodle’s Key Themes
This interactive Doodle game celebrates American geologist and oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp, who helped prove the theories of continental drift.
On November, 21, 1998, the Library of Congress named Tharp one of the greatest cartographers of the 20th century.
About the Doodle
Today’s Doodle features an interactive exploration of Tharp’s life. Her story is narrated by Cate Larsen, Becky Nesel, and Dr. Tiara Moore , three notable women who are currently living out Tharp’s legacy by making strides in the traditionally male-dominated ocean science and geology spaces.
Marie Tharp was an only child born on July 30, 1920, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Tharp’s father, who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gave her an early introduction to mapmaking. She attended the University of Michigan for her master’s degree in petroleum geology—this was particularly impressive given so few women worked in science during this period. She moved to New York City in 1948 and became the first woman to work at the Lamont Geological Observatory where she met geologist Bruce Heezen.
Heezen gathered ocean-depth data in the Atlantic Ocean, which Tharp used to create maps of the mysterious ocean floor. New findings from echo sounders (sonars used to find water depth) helped her discover the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. She brought these findings to Heezen, who infamously dismissed this as “girl talk”.
However, when they compared these V-shaped rifts with earthquake epicenter maps, Heezen could not ignore the facts. Plate tectonics and continental drift were no longer just theories—the seafloor was undoubtedly spreading. In 1957, Tharp and Heezen co-published the first map of the ocean floor in the North Atlantic. Twenty years later, National Geographic published the first world map of the entire ocean floor penned by Tharp and Heezen, titled “The World Ocean Floor.”
Tharp donated her entire map collection to the Library of Congress in 1995. On the 100th anniversary celebration of its Geography and Map Division, the Library of Congress named her one of the most important cartographers in the 20th century. In 2001, the same observatory where she started her career awarded her with its first annual Lamont-Doherty Heritage Award.
Click on today’s Doodle to begin your journey through Tharp’s extraordinary life and scientific contributions!
About Marie Tharp
This Doodle celebrates the life of Marie Tharp, an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who helped prove the theories of continental drift. She co-published the first world map of the ocean floors.
Behind the Doodle
Photographed: Marie Tharp and Heezen, courtesy of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the estate of Marie Tharp.
Photographed: Marie Tharp, courtesy of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the estate of Marie Tharp.
Early sketches of Tharp and Hazeen characters
Early Doodle paintings
Early Doodle logo designs
About the Guest Artists
This Doodle's voice overs were performed by Cate Larsen, Becky Nesel, & Dr. Tiara Moore, three current female scientists who are making strides in the ocean science and geology spaces
Why was Marie Tharp's story meaningful to you?
Marie's story inspires me because she was a woman in earth science when that was very uncommon and dealt with many challenges because of that, like not being allowed on the research vessels or having her work dismissed by her own colleagues. Regardless, she remained confident in her work and her abilities, and didn't let those challenges dim her creativity and passion toward her work. Marie's story inspires me to keep sharing my own ideas with the world, even when it's scary.
Check out Becky’s YouTube video about today’s Doodle!
Marie Tharp is important to me because she is a formidable woman in science! Even when her colleagues were telling her she was wrong, an experience I know all too well, she decided that she knew her work was excellent and wouldn't be proven wrong so she did it again. And she was right. She created the first maps of the ocean floor and they are still used today. Marie reminds me to always let my haters be my motivators, and excellent work simply can't be discounted!
Marie’s story is one of perseverance and strength in a time when women were scarce in the geosciences, and not taken seriously when they were there at all. She stood up for what she knew was true and didn’t care how people perceived her for asserting herself, because she knew her ideas had to be asserted to be heard. I feel confident to assert information when faced with those who doubt me, and I’m proud to call myself a headstrong woman geologist, just like her
MARIE THARP INTERACTIVE TEAM
ART & UX DESIGN
Olivia Huynh
Alyssa Winans
Anthony Irwin
ENGINEERING
Gemma Nash
Jonathan Shneier
Daniel Dovali
PRODUCTION
Producer | Brittany Dandy
Music/Sound | Silas Hite
Voiceover Talent | Becky Nesel, Dr. Tiara Moore, Cate Larsen
Accessibility Advisor | Peter Saathoff-Harshfield
Script Editing | Juliana Appenrodt
Early concept | Michael Perusse
Marketing | Selly Sallah
Business Affairs & Partnerships | Madeline Belliveau
Doodle Team Leads | Jessica Yu, Perla Campos, Brenna Fallon, Tom Tabanao, Nate Swinehart
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