[pcrh]

A quick search lead me to this:

>it was quite clear before it became law that there was no real commercial interest in mining or oil exploration in Antarctica for the foreseeable future. [1]

Of course, a vein of pure gold would be worth mining, but I think the main reason is the massive overlay of ice makes most of the minerals inaccessible, except at the fringes of the continent.

[1]http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/scien...