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The liquid phase pH and EH kinetic profile has been measured for soil samples collected along a north-south transect in the Chilean Atacama Desert. With water addition, surface samples collected at the driest site show a shift from an acidic to a more basic pH. This trend is consistent with the pH shift (inferred from carbon dioxide uptake) seen in the Viking GEx. This kinetic response is unique to the upper most surface material collected in the driest region of the Atacama Desert and was not observed in samples taken at depth, or in samples collected from the more humid southern sites.