Pioneering woman who mapped the ocean floor

Last Tuesday was International Women's Day - a time to remember and celebrate the achievements of women. In Earth sciences many women have made significant contributions to the field, right back as far as the 18th century, when the field was in its infancy. But to this day women are still under-represented. This month I'd like to remember a female geologist who changed our understanding of the planet we live on.

In the 1940s women were not allowed to work aboard scientific research ships, but this didn't prevent Marie Tharp, a freshly qualified draftswoman at Columbia University, from following her interest.