Final answer:
Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen added onto continental drift and created the theory of plate tectonics by providing new evidence such as mapping the ocean floor and discovering the distribution of mountain ranges, which supported the concept of continents moving over time and being separate pieces of Earth's crust.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen contributed to the development of the theory of plate tectonics by providing new evidence that supported the concept of continental drift. One key piece of evidence was the mapping of the ocean floor, which revealed the presence of mid-ocean ridges and deep-sea trenches. These features helped explain how and why continents move over time. Tharp and Heezen also discovered that the continents and ocean floor were composed of rigid plates that float on the semi-fluid mantle beneath, supporting the idea that continents are separate pieces of Earth's crust. Additionally, Tharp and Heezen's research on the distribution of mountain ranges around the world provided further evidence for the concept of continental drift, as these mountain ranges align when continents that were once connected are brought back together.