Saunders Coast

Saunders Coast () is the portion of the coast of

Marie Byrd Land Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of , it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th centur ...

between

Cape Colbeck Cape Colbeck is a prominent ice-covered cape which forms the northwestern extremity of the Edward VII Peninsula and Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica. It was discovered in January 1902 by the British National Antarctic Expedition and named for Cap ...

and

Brennan Point Brennan Point is an ice-covered headland forming the eastern side of the entrance to Block Bay on the coast of Marie Byrd Land; Brennan Point forms a border between Saunders Coast and Ruppert Coast. It was discovered on the Byrd Antarctic Expediti ...

, or between Shirase Coast in the west and

Ruppert Coast Ruppert Coast () is that portion of the coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, between Brennan Point and Cape Burks, or between Saunders Coast in the west and Hobbs Coast in the east. It stretches from 146°31'W to 136°50'W. It was named by R. Admi ...

in the east. It stretches from 158°01'W to 146°31'W. The portion west of 150°W is part of

Ross Dependency The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south. It is claimed by New Zealand, a claim accepted only b ...

, while the remaining area is unclaimed by any nation. This coast was explored from the air on December 5, 1929, by the

Byrd Antarctic Expedition Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

(1928–1930) and was first mapped from aerial photographs obtained on that flight by Capt. Harold E. Saunders, USN, for whom the coast is named. The

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) completely mapped the coast from ground surveys and

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

air photos, 1959–1965. Saunders Basin () is an undersea basin in the central Ross shelf named in association with Saunders Coast. Name approved 6/88 (ACUF 228). Coasts of the Ross Dependency Landforms of Marie Byrd Land King Edward VII Land {{MarieByrdLand-geo-stub