RONNE ICE SHELF

large body of floating ice, lying at the head of Weddell Sea, which is itself an indentation in the Atlantic coastline of Antarctica. More than 500 feet (150 m) thick and extending inland for more than 520 miles (840 km), it lies immediately west of Filchner Ice Shelf, from which it is partially separated by Berkner Island. Though its exact dimensions are unknown, it is, after Ross Ice Shelf, the second largest body of floating ice in the world. Named for Edith Ronne, wife of the American explorer Finn Ronne, the ice shelf was claimed by the United Kingdom (1908), Chile (1940), and Argentina (1942).