Antarctica is a large barren wasteland. Located at the bottom of the world, it appears far away and forgotten. The Earth's largest desert and yet the coldest landmass. The age of exploration has come and gone and the world has been colonized completely. No land is left unexplored, save a few jungles and remote areas. But all of the land has been claimed and conquered. Well, almost all of it.
There is still one land, one last continent that has yet to be fully explored. The bitter cold and harsh environment has kept many away. But what if this artic environment didn’t cover the entire continent? What if there were areas that were different from the general icy terrain and temperature? This landmass was once warmer in the past. But suppose there are still pockets of land that are not as cold as the rest.
My question: Is there any feasible way that parts of Antarctica or some of its islands may be heated enough to point that it could be explored or even colonized without the threat of extreme cold?
By heated I don’t mean tropical. Just low enough where the temperature isn’t extreme and/or viable colonization is possible.
I assume geothermal energy would play a role. Maybe being on the pole of the planet could have effects regarding climate and weather as well, besides reducing temperature?
(I am aware that there is a treaty preventing land claims. But suppose this treaty is not a concern as the faction in question doesn't care. Or perhaps it has gathered intelligence that an enemy is on the verge of discovering these hidden areas and exploiting them.)
