Riches beneath Antarctica’s ice

An undated photo showing the Transantarctic Mountains, which, along with sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, hold the most promising mineral deposits in Antarctica. Mining is banned on the frozen continent but new research suggests that could change as ice melts and land and valuable minerals are exposed. — Michael Studinger/Nasa via The New York Times

PROSPECTORS are scouring the Pacific Ocean seafloor and Greenland’s vast landscape for valuable minerals to run the world’s economy. Should Antarctica be added to the treasure hunters’ list?

A new study finds that, as the climate continues to warm over the next decades, tens of thousands of square kilometres of Antarctica will lose their protective ice covering, exposing valuable deposits of copper, iron, gold, silver, platinum and cobalt.