Changing views and interests over Antarctic mineral deposits

• Main Author: Boniface, Nick
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury 1999
• Subjects: Antarctic; Buckley; Craddock; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14066

ne debate over the use of Antarctic minerals has spread through the past several decades. Various changes in the views and interests of nations have occurred, with some surprising reversals in position and developments. This literature review aims to present an account of the developments that have occurred and to present the changes in views and interests held throughout this time regarding the mining of Antarctic minerals. For the purposes of this review, only onshore minerals (excluding petroleum) have been considered Detailed geoscience investigations began at selected locations in Antarctica following World War Two, but gained momentum with the International Geophysical Year (1957 - 1958), although geology ',vas not initially part ofthe IGY (Gjelsvik 1983). Various minerals have been known to occur in Antarctica since the early expeditions knowledge regarding mineral occurrences and deposits has changed little during recent years Cressensohn 1985). Reports have summarised similar findings, with common themes of 'a lack of suffcient knowledge to class mineral occurrences as deposits or reserves', and 'no deposits of commercial interest have been found on the continent' (Willett 1973, Mitchell 1983). Minerals discussed by Willett (1973) included Iron, Coal, Petroleum and a list of Metallic, Non-metallic and Energy minerals. and were no more limited than following studies. "Knowledge of Antarctic earth history allows some brief comments to be made on potential mineral resources" (Drewry 1987, p14). The logic for the occurrence of mineral deposits in Antarctica is based on the Gondwana Hypothesis (Mitchell 1983, Tessensohn 1983, 1985, Craddock 1990, Buckley 1995). This idea has developed somewhat through time as more pieces ofthe 'evidence' have been collected or observed, but the hypothesis is based on the idea that the southern continents were once joined, and therefore shared similar mineral forming conditions. In fact, the knowledge has not developed that quickly which is shown by Volume 51 of the Antarctic ...