Abstract Mantle xenoliths from southern Victoria Land have been collected and extensively studied for over a century. In this chapter, chemical and petrological data are, for the first time, comprehensively collated, and petrogenetic models for the regional mantle are reviewed and assessed. The most common lithologies are spinel lherzolite and harzburgite; plagioclase lherzolite also occurs, and pyroxenite xenoliths found across the province comprise <20% of all mantle xenoliths. The lithospheric mantle in the region has Paleoproterozoic stabilization ages, although pockets of younger mantle may exist. This peridotite mantle comprises a HIMU (high 238 U/ 204 Pb = high μ)-component sensu stricto , has been variably carbonated and has undergone multiple melt-depletion events. Regional variations in a sedimentary (EMI: Enriched Mantle I) component to the west, and iron-rich components to the east, reflect a complex history of refertilization and metasomatism. The sources of these fluids are likely to have been oceanic crust subducted during c. 0.5 Ga and older events. Peridotites have been cross-cut by pyroxenite veins, probably in multiple episodes, with the geochemistry of some samples reflecting the involvement of an upper continental crust (EMII: Enriched Mantle II) component. Future research directions should apply advanced isotopic, noble gas and volatile techniques to better understand the upper mantle below this dynamic rifting environment.

Abstract This paper brings together topographic cross-section ‘windows’ from across Antarctica to illustrate soil–landscapes from the margins of the polar plateau in the Transantarctic Mountains and McMurdo Dry Valleys, through East Antarctic coastal areas, to the northern Antarctic Peninsula Region. Soils identified range from Gelisols in the Ross Sea Region, through Gelisols and Entisols in coastal East Antarctica, to a mixture of Gelisols, Entisols, Spodosols and Inceptisols in the northern Antarctic Peninsula Region where permafrost is not ubiquitous. The relative impacts of the soil-forming factors are considered. At a continental scale climate is the main driver of the differences observed between soils in different areas. At local scales strong soil–topographic relationships are observed. Organisms, time and parent material are dominant influences on soil properties only in relatively localized situations. Organisms dominate in areas of organic matter or guano accumulation and time is a dominant influence on exceptionally old upland surfaces in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The US Department of Agriculture’s Soil Taxonomy gives a useful overall appraisal of Antarctic soils; however, for detailed work, there is a need to introduce some new categories at subgroup level to better capture the range of soils described.