Shackleton Ice Shelf [SEP] continent
Shackleton Ice Shelf
Shackleton Ice Shelf is an extensive ice shelf fronting the coast of East Antarctica for about 384 km (95E to 105E), projecting seaward about 145 km in the western portion and 64 km in the east. It occupies an area of 33,820 km². It is part of Mawson Sea and separates the Queen Mary Coast to the west from the Knox Coast of Wilkes Land to the east. The existence of this ice shelf was first made known by the USEE under Charles Wilkes who mapped
Ross Ice Shelf. Mount Erebus and Mount Terror are named after two ships from his expedition: HMS "Erebus" and "Terror".
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914, led by Ernest Shackleton, set out to cross the continent via the pole, but their ship, the "Endurance", was trapped and crushed by pack ice before they even landed. The expedition members survived after an epic journey on sledges over pack ice to Elephant Island. Then Shackleton and five others crossed the Southern Ocean,