Mining by country

Mining in Antarctica

Mining in Antarctica: the public figures we hold so far. No world production share, mine or listed company project is recorded here yet.

Mining in Antarctica at a glance

Defining moment
Madrid Protocol bans Antarctic mining (1991). The ban cannot be removed unless a binding legal regime on mineral resource activities is in force. Source: Antarctic Treaty Secretariat
Mining law
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid Protocol), Article 7 (1991). Signed at Madrid on 4 October 1991; Article 7 prohibits any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research. Source: Antarctic Treaty Secretariat

Mining employment from the ILO usually counts all of mining and quarrying, often with oil and gas; national shares of GDP and exports are as each source defines them.

History of mining in Antarctica

What the ground holds. iron (banded iron formation, Prince Charles Mountains); chromium, nickel, cobalt, platinum (trace, Dufek intrusion) Source: USGS

How prospectors changed the worldThe full mining timeline

World shares: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, latest year per mineral. Mineral rents, exports and governance: World Bank WDI and WGI. Trade: CEPII BACI. Projects: listed companies' announcements.

Keep exploring

Stories from Antarctica and its minerals

The world runs on rockThe BatteryInside a lithium-ion cellThe Big Hole at Kimberley, South Africa, seen from above, with water at the bottomMining historyThe Big Hole, KimberleyDiamonds · South AfricaThe world runs on rockThe ChipThe minerals inside every computer chipGold drill-hole columns rising over the Yilgarn goldfields on a satellite map of Western AustraliaData storyUnder Western AustraliaDrill holes · Western Australia

All mining storiesThe world runs on rockAll mineralsMining by country

Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: The Big Hole by Rudolph Botha, CC BY-SA 3.0.