Nations in Madrid sign a pact banning mining across Antarctica

For two years, Antarctic Treaty nations had tried and failed to agree on rules for mining the continent's mineral wealth. On October 4, 1991, in Madrid, representatives opened for signature the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, declaring Antarctica "a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science." Article 7 banned all mineral resource activity except scientific research. The original 26 nations signed the protocol, the first step toward a protocol that would not take legal effect for another seven years…