Map of the Atlantic Ocean floor (1968)

This map is the second in a collection of maps created by illustrator Heinrich Berann for National Geographic magazine, depicting the bottom of the Atlantic 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 Atlantic Ocean, published in June 1968, shows its great depth far from the continental shelves, as well as the oceanic ridge that allows the creation of the Earth's crust and the large trenches where it returns to the mantle. Iceland's location, completely crossed by the Atlantic ridge, is noteworthy.

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 Atlantic Ocean floor (1968)

Sources