Final answer:
Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen were influential geologists who mapped the ocean floor and discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, contributing significantly to the acceptance of plate tectonics theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen were pioneering geologists and oceanographers who played a crucial role in the development of the plate tectonics theory. Tharp, specifically, was instrumental in creating the first scientific map of the entire ocean floor. She and Heezen discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is a massive underwater mountain range, and provided evidence of seafloor spreading. This evidence, along with other research, helped to cement the concept of plate tectonics as a universally accepted scientific theory. While Heezen gathered much of the data aboard research vessels, Tharp worked meticulously to interpret and map the ocean floor's topography from the data, revealing patterns that indicated continental drift.