Kemp Peninsula is an irregular ice-covered peninsula 26 miles long in a north-south direction and 5 to 12 miles wide. The peninsula rises gently to 305 m and projects east between the heads of Mason Inlet

Mason Inlet

Mason Inlet is an ice-filled inlet which recedes 15 nautical miles southwest between Cape Mackintosh and the coastline south of Cape Herdman, along the east coast of Palmer Land. First seen and photographed from the air in December 1940 by members of the United States Antarctic Service...

 and Mossman Inlet

Mossman Inlet

Mossman Inlet is a narrow ice-filled inlet which recedes north 10 nautical miles between Cape Kidson and the southwest end of Kemp Peninsula, along the east coast of Palmer Land. This inlet was first seen and photographed from the air in December 1940 by the United States Antarctic Service...

, on the east coast of Palmer Land

Palmer Land

Palmer Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between US-ACAN and UK-APC, in which the name Antarctic Peninsula was approved for the major peninsula of...

. It was first seen from the air in December 1940 by members of the US Antarctic Service (USAS), who at that time photographed all but its north extremity. During 1947 it was photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition

The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition was an expedition from 1947-1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica.-Background:...

 (RARE), who in conjunction with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) charted it from the ground.

Kemp Peninsula was named by the FIDS for Stanley W. Kemp, British marine biologist and oceanographer, first Director of Research of the Discovery Investigations

Discovery Investigations

The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, which was formed in 1918...

, 1924–36, and Director of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the city of Plymouth, England is an independent collaborative centre of the Natural Environment Research Council . PML's Chairman is Terence Lewis and PML's Chief Executive is Prof. Stephen de Mora.They focus global issues of climate change and sustainability...

, 1936-45.