Marie Tharp was an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who helped create the first and most famous scientific map of the entire ocean floor in 1977.As she studied various aspects of Earth’s elements, she soon revolutionized the scientific understanding of the continental drift by revealing the presence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. She received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Hubbard Award by the National Geographic Society, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Society of Women Geographers, the Mary Sears Woman Pioneer in Oceanography Award by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the 20th Century's Outstanding Cartographers by the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division’s Phillips Society.