Soils around the Polish Arctowski Station, Maritime Antarctic were mapped and studied in the lab. They were formed from Tertiary basalt, moraines and solifluction deposits, partly influenced by recent volcanic ash. Regic and Leptic Cryosols as well as Gelic Leptosols on steep slopes without or low vegetation cover were found, whereas very young moraines had Calcari-vitric Cryosols. Moderate slopes below 60 m a.s.l. had Molli-gelic Cambisols with a dense grass cover, whereas the lowlands near the station had Histic and Salic Fluvisols Most soils below 60 m a.s.l. had higher phosphate contents due to the influence of birds, particularly penguins. Cryoclastic weathering together with cryoturbation were the main soil forming processes but chemical weathering took place also. The appearance of pedogenetic iron oxides as well as illites, smectites and allophane in the clay fraction indicate solution-chemical weathering and the new formation of minerals. Some of the soils were influenced by water stagnation, others by ortstein formation. Relatively high contents of organic matter are the result of an absolutely low biomass production but higher in relation to the activity of soil microbes, together with influences of cryoturbation and of the birds.
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