State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

seafloor spreading

  • Marie Tharp’s Adventures in Mapping the Seafloor, In Her Own Words

    Marie Tharp’s Adventures in Mapping the Seafloor, In Her Own Words

    The pioneering mapmaker explains how she and colleagues discovered underwater mountain ranges 40,000 miles long, and helped to prove that the continents move.

  • Walter Pitman and the Smoking Gun of Plate Tectonics

    Walter Pitman and the Smoking Gun of Plate Tectonics

    “We had this magic key, this magic magnetic profile,” Pitman said. “We were able to date it and eventually use it not only as a tool that proved continental drift but a tool by which we could actually reconstruct the pattern of drift, that is the relative position of the continents, and the actual timing…

Earth Month Graphic Collage: "Our Power, Our Planet - April 2025"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. This Earth Month, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • Marie Tharp’s Adventures in Mapping the Seafloor, In Her Own Words

    Marie Tharp’s Adventures in Mapping the Seafloor, In Her Own Words

    The pioneering mapmaker explains how she and colleagues discovered underwater mountain ranges 40,000 miles long, and helped to prove that the continents move.

  • Walter Pitman and the Smoking Gun of Plate Tectonics

    Walter Pitman and the Smoking Gun of Plate Tectonics

    “We had this magic key, this magic magnetic profile,” Pitman said. “We were able to date it and eventually use it not only as a tool that proved continental drift but a tool by which we could actually reconstruct the pattern of drift, that is the relative position of the continents, and the actual timing…