women cartographers

"Marie Tharp earned a graduate degree in geology in the 1940s, at a time when scientific careers were largely unavailable to women. Marie's vision and tenacity paved the way for her to become one of the greatest oceanographic cartographers of the 20th century. She was the first person to map the ocean floor and discover the 40,000 mile long Mid-Ocean Ridge and Rift Valley. Her astounding discovery supported the theory of continental drift, which led to the theory of plate tectonics. But it was not an easy road, and Marie struggled to receive the credit she deserved for her discovery. From Marie Tharp's early childhood dreams all the way to her defining achievement, Josie James's Marie's Ocean is the story of one of earth science's greatest hidden figures"--From the publisher's web site.

Presents the life of the scientist responsible for the first map of the ocean floor, describing her experiences with sexism and her pioneering work which led to the confirmation of the theory of continental drift.

Before Marie Tharp's groundbreaking work in the 1950s, the ocean floor was a mystery?then, as now, we knew less about the bottom of the sea than we did about outer space. In a time when women were held back by the casually sexist atmosphere of mid-twentieth-century academia?a time when trained geologists and scientists like Tharp were routinely relegated to the role of secretary or assistant?Tharp's work would completely change the world's understanding of our planet's evolution. By transforming dry data into beautifully detailed maps that laid the groundwork for proving the then controversial theory of continental drift, Tharp, along with her lifelong partner in science, Bruce Heezen, upended scientific consensus and ushered in a new era in geology and oceanography.

"An uncanny child born to brilliant parents, befriended by a prince, mentored by a wise woman, pursued by a powerful man, Secret Riven has no idea what destiny will demand of her or the courage she must have to confront it"--Provided by publisher.

An examination of the professional and personal life of Marie Tharp, a geologist and oceanographic cartographer who mapped the ocean floor.