Antarctic Soils and Soil Forming Processes

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Antarctic Research Series, Volume 8.

Are there, in fact, any soils in Antarctica? This is the question asked by laymen and professionals alike.
It is seventy years or more since man first set foot on the antarctic continent, and during this time explorers, naturalists, geologists, and others have given us considerable information on many ice-free areas and have photographed and mapped a considerable portion of the continent. Only within the last ten years, however, have the first systematic pedologic studies been undertaken. Although the observations of these preliminary studies are important and illuminating, knowledge of pedologic processes as a whole on the antarctic continent has not advanced much beyond a 'statement of the problem.'