Marie Tharp Bio, Age, Height, Parents, Cause Of Death, Husband, Children

Marie Tharp was an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who, in partnership with Bruce Heezen, created the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor.

Tharp’s work revealed the detailed topography and multi-dimensional geographical landscape of the ocean bottom.

Her work included a more precise cartographic representation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and her discovery of the rift valley along its axis, causing a paradigm shift in earth science that led to the acceptance of the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift.

Tharp was employed and continuously promoted from 1952 to 1968 when her position was cut and moved to grant-funded status due to lab politics involving Heezen (she remained in a grant-funded position until Heezen’s death in 1977).

For the first 18 years of their collaboration, Heezen collected bathymetric data aboard the research ship Vema, while Tharp drew maps from that data since women were barred from working on ships at the time. She was later able to join a 1968 data-collection expedition.

 

Marie Tharp Bio

Born	July 30, 1920 Ypsilanti, Michigan
Died	August 23, 2006 (aged 86) Nyack, New York
Nationality	United States
Citizenship	United States
Alma mater	Ohio University University of Michigan University of Tulsa
Known for	Seafloor topography
Scientific career
Fields	Geology, Oceanography
Institutions	Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University

Marie Tharp Age

Marie Tharp was 86 years. Tharp and the rest of the family moved to a farm in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where, shortly after, Marie graduated from high school.

Influenced by her mother, a teacher, she took a year off before going to college; after graduating, she too planned to become a teacher. Staying on the farm to help after her mother’s death in 1936, Marie later matriculated in college.

Marie Tharp Height

Marie Tharp was around 5 ft 2 inches tall.

Marie Tharp Parents

She was the only child of Bertha Louise Tharp, a German and Latin teacher, and William Edgar Tharp, a soil surveyor for the United States Department of Agriculture.

Due to the nature of William Tharp’s work, the family moved constantly until he retired in 1931. At that point, Marie had attended over a dozen public schools in Alabama, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana, which made it difficult for her to establish friendships. Her mother, who died when Marie was 15, was her closest female acquaintance.

After his retirement, William Tharp and the rest of the family moved to a farm in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where, shortly after, Marie graduated from high school.

Influenced by her mother, a teacher, she took a year off before going to college; after graduating, she too planned to become a teacher. Staying on the farm to help after her mother’s death in 1936, Marie later matriculated in college.

Marie Tharp Cause Of Death

Tharp died of cancer in Nyack, New York, on August 23, 2006, at the age of 86.

Marie Tharp Husband

In 1948, she married David Flanagan and moved with him to New York. They were divorced by 1952.

Marie Tharp Children

There is information in the media about Tharp having any children of her own.