A review of salt occurrences in soils of the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

Salts are pervasive throughout the Transantarctic Mountains cold desert soils and are derived primarily from atmospheric sources. Their composition is varied and dependent on local or regional climatic conditions. Their presence within soil profiles ranges from small flecks to continuous salt horizons and their abundance and distribution have a distinct relationship with climatic attributes and land surface age which extends back to the Miocene. While liquid water is seldom present, salts are present in saturated solutions surrounding mineral grains in the soil and may move deeply into the soil or underlying icy permafrost. Extensive ground surface salt efflorescence occurs on freshly exposed surfaces that have been disturbed by human activities, the salts being derived from within the thawed permafrost ice.