Characteristics of iron oxides in soils with a chronosequence developed from basalt have been studied in Northern Hainan Island.The results show that pedogenic free iron oxides(DCB-Fe) and Fed/Fe,(ratio of DCB-Fe to total Fe) increase and Feo/Fed(ratio of active Fe to DCB-Fe) decrease with increase in soil-forming age.The ratio of pedogenic hematite to iron oxides reaches from 16 % 25% to 48% in soil clays at soil-forming age of 9×10⁴a,64×10⁴a to 181×10⁴a determined by Mössbauer Spectroscopy.Furthermore the younger the soil-forming age,the poorer the crystallinity of goethite in soils.Also,X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the hematite contents in fine-earth fraction and clay fraction rise with increase in soil-forming age and that magnetite descends while maghemite ascends in content.