Antarctica is a storehouse of mineral wealth. All other continents are. There is no reason to believe that Antarctica is unique in this respect. The continent was discovered about 150 years ago. Because of the unfavorable environment and high costs, exploration proceeded slowly and intermittently for a century. Since 1957 multi-nation efforts have revealed a fairly complete knowledge of the geomorphology, structure, and general geology of the continent. A program of detailed geologic surveying and prospecting is needed. In the not too distant future the natural resources of Antarctica will be in demand.

Antarctica is a difficult continent to explore. Over 90% of it is located within the Antarctic Circle. Approximately 95% of the continent is buried beneath ice sheets some of which exceed 3,000 m in thickness. The climate is severe and the field and shipping seasons are short. All supplies and equipment must be shipped in; the continent provides nothing.

East Antarctica is an ancient shield composed of a Precambrian basement under locally thick deposits of Devonian-Jurassic terrestrial sedimentary rocks. West Antarctica is an archipelago composed of segments of deformed Precambrian and Paleozoic continental crust. The late Mesozoic Circum-Pacific orogeny resulted in the emplacement of granitic plutons in coastal West Antarctica. Volcanism has occurred along the Pacific margin since the middle Tertiary.

Deposits of minerals containing such metals as chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silver, tin, uranium, vanadium, and zinc have been noted. Nonmetallic deposits include beryl, micas, and coal. Offshore deposits of petroleum and natural gas are possibilities.

Under a treaty signed by 16 nations, operations in Antarctica are restricted to exploration and research. There are political aspects to be considered, but surely they can be resolved and the program of exploration and prospecting can proceed at an accelerated rate.

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