Scientists Say Kimberlite Discovered in Antartica

Scientists say that kimberlite, the material in which diamonds are sometimes found, has been discovered in Antarctica.

Even if the kimberlite is found to contain diamonds they will never be mined since mining is banned under an international treaty.

"It would be very surprising if there weren't diamonds in these kimberlites," said Greg Yaxley of the Australian National University in Canberra. Yaxley led the research team on a project in the frozen southern wastes near the South Pole.

The Australian-led group reported in the journal, Nature Communications, that they unearthed the kimberlite deposits around Mount Meredith, in the Prince Charles Mountains in East Antarctica.

The diamonds will not be mined since Antarctica is the subject of an international environmental treaty that protects the continent for scientific research and wildlife until at least 2041. A 50-year treaty on the issue was signed in 1991.

Apart from that, the unforgiving weather conditions make the possibility of working in the region impractical.

"I don't think it's terribly practical that anyone could actually explore successfully and, personally, I hope that mining does not take place," Yaxley said.