Merz Peninsula () is an irregular, ice-covered peninsula, about long in an east–west direction and averaging wide, between

Hilton Inlet Hilton Inlet () is an ice-filled inlet, wide, which recedes about west from its entrance between Cape Darlington and Cape Knowles, along the east coast of Palmer Land, Antarctica. It was discovered by the United States Antarctic Service in 1940, ...

and

Violante Inlet Violante Inlet () is an ice-filled inlet long, in an east–west direction, and wide, lying between Cape Fanning and Cape Herdman along the east coast of Palmer Land. Discovered and photographed from the air in December 1940 by members of the U ...

on the east coast of

Palmer Land Palmer Land () is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica that lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the Advisory Committee on Antarctic N ...

, Antarctica. It was discovered and photographed from the air in December 1940 by the

US Antarctic Service The United States Antarctic Program (or USAP; formerly known as the United States Antarctic Research Program or USARP and the United States Antarctic Service or USAS) is an organization of the United States government which has presence in the A ...

; during 1947 it was photographed from the air by the

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) was an expedition from 1947–1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Background Finn Ronne led the RARE which was the final privately sponsored exp ...

under

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer w ...

, who in conjunction with the

Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...

(FIDS) charted it from the ground. The peninsula was named by the FIDS for

Alfred Merz Alfred Merz (24 January 1880 – 16 August 1925) was an Austrian geographer, oceanographer and director of the Institute of Marine Science in Berlin. He died of pneumonia in Buenos Aires while on an expedition to survey the South Atlantic an ...

, a noted Austrian

oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...

and the original leader of the German expedition in the ''

Meteor A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...

'', 1925–26.

References

Peninsulas of Palmer Land {{PalmerLand-geo-stub