SvyeJan 29, 2023
Sheril Kirshenbaum

Pioneering geologist & oceanographer Marie Tharp changed our understanding of the ocean.

When Tharp sought a geology job at Columbia in 1948, women couldn’t go on research ships. So, she was hired to assist male grad students.

Back then, many scientists still assumed the bottom of the ocean was featureless. Tharp figured out how to use data to create sketches of the ocean floor. Her hand-drawn maps helped develop plate tectonic theory. https://theconversation.com/marie-tharp-pioneered-mapping-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-6-decades-ago-scientists-are-still-learning-about-earths-last-frontier-142451 #science #history #HistoryRemix

Marie Tharp pioneered mapping the bottom of the ocean 6 decades ago – scientists are still learning about Earth’s last frontier

Born on July 30, 1920, geologist and cartographer Tharp changed scientific thinking about what lay at the bottom of the ocean – not a featureless flat, but rugged and varied terrain.

The Conversation
Jan 29, 2023 at 10:05amWeb
Show threadserklarvelJan 29, 2023
@Sheril thanks for sharing this story, I didn't know about her and it is very inspiring what she did.
Show threadPJT NorthJan 29, 2023
@Sheril I saw some of her sketches at Duke back in the mid 70’s. They were impressive.
Show threadSheril KirshenbaumJan 29, 2023
@pjtn Interesting you mention Duke because writing about Tharp made me think of Pat Halpin. I used to be on the same floor as Pat when I worked at Duke’s Nicholas Institute.
Show threadPJT NorthJan 29, 2023

@Sheril

I was prepping for a summer oceanography cruise as an undergrad to investigate turbidites on the Hatteras Abyssal Plain. They were pride of place on a wall. They gave me a sense of progression and history.

Stupid summer memory: We were being shadowed by a sub coming back to port. We dropped a small cement block off the stern to spook them for giggles. I tracked it and heard the “bong” from 150m depth. It was not one of ours. They sheared off and ran. Long cruise.

Show threado ifrit 🌱Jan 29, 2023
@Sheril
https://youtu.be/a6aW6SpCm1Y
Marie Tharp. A cartógrafa do fondo oceánico | XeoClip

YouTube
Show threadMs. UnderstoodJan 29, 2023
@Sheril fascinating article. Plate tectonics one of the most unifying theories anywhere in science which always has resistance by some whose life work can be rendered somewhat obsolete but in this case augmented by gender bias
Show threadBruno GirinJan 29, 2023
@Sheril As a French person, I find it quite ironic but unsurprising that our most famous oceanographer, Cousteau, started out by wanting to prove a woman wrong and became famous thanks to the images that proved her right 🙄
Funnily enough, I don't think we get told that part of the story in school.
Show threadKaren StrickholmJan 29, 2023
@Sheril Thank you for this! As filmmaker Henry Jaglom put it (paraphrased): "We are freeing our last slaves - women. And no one knows how it's all going to turn out."
Show threadDavid HoJan 29, 2023

@Sheril I've always felt that Lamont should have named their research vessel after Marie Tharp instead of Marcus Langseth.

https://lamont.columbia.edu/research-divisions/marine-large-programs/office-marine-operations/langseth

Langseth Specs & Features | Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Lamont-Doherty’s Research Vessel Marcus G. Langseth serves as the national seismic research facility for the United States academic research community.

Show threadmadame poolhairJan 29, 2023
@Sheril misogynists are so dumb 🙄
Show threadJake in the desertJan 29, 2023
@Sheril this is SO COOL
Show threadSudhirJan 30, 2023
@Sheril. Excellent information!👍👏🙏
Show threadVivalistFeb 1, 2023
@Sheril thanks for sharing this article!