Map of the Arctic Ocean floor (1971)

This map is the first in a collection of maps created by illustrator Heinrich Berann for National Geographic magazine, depicting the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. The publication of this series coincided with the popularisation of plate tectonics theory, the explanation geologists found in the 1960s for the continuous movements of the Earth's crust.

Since Berann was an artist without the geographical knowledge necessary to create these maps, he worked closely with several scientists, notably Bruce Heezen and Mary Tharp, the geologists who documented the expansion of the ocean floor in detail.

This map of the Arctic Ocean, published in October 1971, shows the oceanic ridge, which in this case is a continuation of the Atlantic Ocean ridge. The continental shelves of North America and Eurasia extend hundreds of kilometres beyond the coastline, leaving the ocean floor much smaller than in the other three oceans.

Here you can see all the maps in this National Geographic series:

For more information on ocean floor exploration and the creation of these maps, please refer to this article in the newsletter on exploration of the ocean floor.

Milhaud Maps

Map of the Arctic Ocean floor (1971)

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