Deserted farmlands in the Qaidam Basin are mostly of alkali soil with pH value around 8,high in salt content. Salts concentrate mostly in the 0~10 cm surface layer,ranging within 1~45 g kg^-1,and decrease in content with depth of the profile.Cations in the soil are dominated with K⁺,Na⁺,Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺,whereas anions are in a decreasing order of Cl^- > SO₄^2- > HCO₃^- > CO₃^2- in terms of content in the 0~10 cm,10~20 cm and 20~30 cm soil layers.The correlation between total salt and Cl^-content is positive and extremely significant(p<0.01),and that between total salt and Mg²⁺,Ca²⁺ content significantly positive,too(p<0.05),but that between total salt and HCO₃^- content negative,whereas,the correlation between Cl^- and Mg²⁺,Ca²⁺ content is positive and extremely significant(p<0.01),and that between CO₃^2- and SO₄^2- content also significantly positive,but that between Cl^- and HCO₃^- content negat ive.All these findings further suggest that the soils are heavy chloride saline soils.Organic matter contents of the soils are low averaging 11.46 g kg^-1 in the 0~30 cm soil layer.The content of total N and P of the soils are also very low,but the soils are rich in K. The results obtained from experimental area indicate that degradation and salinization of the soils is closely related to the local natural conditions and irrational human activities in the region.