And is there any way North Korea would be interested in exploiting it in the near future?
Remember our top 10 futuristic story-lines from “South Pole Vendetta”?
10. The South Pole – no longer inaccessible
9. Heroes don’t have to sleep with everyone who comes along.
8. North Korea is looking for respect and power on the world’s biggest stages.
7. Is there really an ocean of oil under the South Pole?
6. The atlatl is an actual, legitimate, weapon – sort of.
5. The division of Antarctica between so many nations is a volatile situation.
4. Unmanned military airplanes will continue to evolve.
3. Nanotechnology will change warfare in the near future.
2. The Switchblade may be the next generation of military aircraft.
And the Number 1 futuristic story line from “South Pole Vendetta”:
1. Where’s the evidence for global warming?
Let’s consider some different aspects of this seventh question:
Got any idea how many barrels of oil the US consumes every day? The CIA World Factbook says somewhere around twenty million.
How about North Korea? Same source – 13,000 and falling.
So, do you think North Korea, the antagonist in “South Pole Vendetta”, might be interested in any new sources of oil?
The idea of a huge reserve of oil under the ice at the South Pole is an interesting one. There are those that believe that there may be a huge deposit there, there’s just a couple of problems: 1. The treaty prohibiting exploration of resources there, and 2. How in the world does one work with the stuff if it is there? It’s a million degrees below survivable!
CoolAntarctica.com says this:
“It is believed that oil and natural gas are to be found in large quantities in Antarctica’s continental shelf though these are not currently being exploited.
“Antarctica poses a number of serious logistical problems to any would-be mining or prospecting activities;
*”The most extreme cold on the planet.
*”A very thick ice sheet.
*”Isolation from any town, city or industrial development.
*”Having to cross the roughest seas on the planet to get any cargo back to the industrialized world.
*”Gigantic icebergs like multi-million ton ploughs that threaten shipping, platforms and pipelines.
*”The annual “icing-in” of the continent when the area around the coasts freeze so that only the most powerful (and expensive) ice breakers can get through.
“Oil and gas from the continental shelf are the most likely resources that may be exploited, but this is still a good distance in the future. The shelf areas are not covered by the Antarctic Treaty unlike the continental zones and therefore are not subject to the same protection.”
The Istanbul Gazette goes on to say:
“On the other side of the world, meaning the South Pole, a vast white continent with a surface area of 14,000,000 km2 – possibly containing a wealth of hitherto undiscovered mineral resources and a limitless reservoir of clean water – awaits the year 2048. People first started considering the possibility of exploiting Antarctica’s mineral resources in the 1980s. At the time these speculations led to the signature of the Wellington Convention on 2 June 1988. This agreement aimed at creating a strict framework to regulate mineral resource exploitation in the Antarctic. France’s Mitterrand boycotted the convention and subsequently, Australia, Belgium, and Italy followed suit. These rejections led to the 11th Antarctic Treaty Special Consultative Meeting sessions in the course of 1990 and 1991. Finally, on 4 October 1991 the Consultative Parties ratified and accepted the agreement, which basically cut short any form of mineral exploration on the uninhabited South Pole.” – Istanbul Gazette
It makes for an interesting question:
Is there a chance that some nation (wink) could decide to pursue that resource?
CD Myers' writing blog 
Very interesting, Chuck.
When I consider this theory, it takes me back to the epoch of the supercontinent, Pangea, which still placed the continent of Antarctica at or near the pole where it currently resides.
Now, I’m not getting all scientific, but for oil to be made, it takes vegetation, animal decay, etc. to build up over millions of years. Considering the placement of where Antarctica has always been, it seems doubtful that enough vegetation and the other essential elements needed would have existed long enough to create an ocean of oil.
I realize that the earth’s climate has undergone drastic changes over the course of time, so it could negate my reasoning altogether. But very interesting, indeed.
Thanks for your comment. Your theory brings up a number of interesting thoughts. Without getting into it too much; how about this: I think there was a water canopy covering the whole planet at one time.
Also, the research they are doing indicates that there might be a lot of minerals and resources there. I hope it intrigues you – and a lot of others – enough to take a look when the book comes out this fall.
Thanks again and God bless,
Chuck
I love stuff like this, so yeah, I’ll probably be checking out the book!
Ok, this sounds like a book me and my dad would be interested in reading. I’ll have to make a note to read it after I finish moving . . . .
The notion that there is oil under antartica is an interesting one. The notion of some nation getting to it, of doing something wrong and blowing up the south pole–also alarming. The notion of North Korea doing it? Even with unmanned vessils and nanotechololgy and whatnot? Laughable. It would be more scary if it was china or japan or some place like that. At least they actually consume a ton of oil and have the money and resources to pull it off!
Oh, ps–thanks for following my blog:)
I hear what you’re saying about North Korea Jenny, and thanks for the comment.
Let me simply say this: I would agree entirely if not for the fact that there’s a Joker in the deck.
I’m glad to hear that it’s the kind of book you – and your dad – like. I think you’ll find some very interesting reading, and I’m excited about the chance to share my story with you when the day comes (this fall).
Thanks again,
Chuck