Mountains Underwater? Who Knew.

Ocean Speaks
Written by Jess Keating & Illustrated by Katie Hickey
Age Level: 4-8 Years
Published June 30, 2020

I’m not wrong.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Lewis and Clark, but how familiar are you with Marie Tharp? If the name doesn’t ring a bell then listen up, because her map of the ocean floor is displayed in the Library of Congress right alongside the original draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Marie Tharp was an American geologist and cartographer who pursued a career in science in spite of gender barriers, ultimately gaining recognition as one of the greatest cartographers of the twentieth century. Her greatest achievement was made while she was working in a laboratory in New York. Her job was to plot a map of the ocean floor using data collected by sonar. Marie’s map ended up uncovering the largest mountain range on Earth, the mid-Atlantic ridge, the peaks of which are immersed over a mile underwater!

“Marie’s curiosity was as big as the world she wanted to explore.”

Tharp’s map also helped geologists better understand our planet. The ocean floor appeared to have moved and split apart, leaving a deep scar in the middle and huge mountains on each side. This evidence was used to prove the theory of continental drift and led to the discovery of tectonic plates. While Tharp’s mountains are mostly concealed far beneath the ocean’s surface, there is one place where you can see the peaks while standing on dry land. But you’ll have to read the Author’s Note to find out where.