Continental Drift and Marie Tharp's Contributions

In 1912, Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift, suggesting that continents were once a single landmass called Pangea. Initially dismissed, the theory gained support through the work of Marie Tharp, who mapped the ocean floor and discovered rift-valleys, providing evidence for the theory. Despite skepticism, her findings were validated by Jacques Cousteau's expedition, leading to a paradigm shift in earth sciences and the development of plate tectonics.

Who proposed the theory of continental drift in 1912?

• Alfred Wegener

• Bruce Heezen

• Jacques Cousteau

• Marie Tharp

What was the name of the single landmass proposed by Wegener?

• Pangea

• Laurasia

• Atlantis

• Gondwana

What method did Bruce Heezen's team use to collect depth data?

• Sonar mapping

• Seismic reflection

• Echo sounding

• Satellite imaging

Why was Marie Tharp not allowed to join the early ocean expeditions?

• Health concerns

• Insufficient qualifications

• Fear of bad luck at sea

• Lack of funding

What did Tharp's maps reveal about the ocean floor?

• It was covered in coral reefs

• It had a complex geography of crevices and valleys

• It was flat and featureless

• It was mostly sandy plains

What did Tharp's discovery of rift valleys support?

• The presence of deep-sea trenches

• Wegener's continental drift theory

• The existence of underwater volcanoes

• The theory of plate tectonics

What did Howard Foster's earthquake data reveal?

• Earthquakes were decreasing in frequency

• Earthquakes occurred along mid-oceanic ridges

• Earthquakes were random

• Earthquakes were unrelated to oceanic features

What was Jacques Cousteau's initial belief about Tharp's maps?

• They were accurate

• They were incorrect

• They needed more data

• They were partially correct

What did Cousteau's expedition footage confirm?

• There were no rift valleys

• The mid-Atlantic ridge was unbroken

• Tharp's maps were accurate

• The ocean floor was flat

What major scientific concept did Tharp's work help establish?

• Oceanic circulation

• Volcanic activity

• Plate tectonics

• Seafloor spreading