Abstract: A set of widespread evaporates was deposited in the conjugate basins in the passive continental margin of the central South Atlantic during the early Cretaceous Aptian Stage, and the composition of the evaporates and the origin of the basins are important for the study of the southern Atlantic Ocean evolution and hydrocarbon exploration. We reviewed the recent progresses in the study of the distribution, age, origin, tectonic and sedimentary settings of the evaporates, summarized the main disputes that exist today, and pointed out the reasons of the disagreements and the resolutions. Results show that (1) the thick evaporates were deformed strongly and variations in width and symmetry are related to the pattern of basin extension and location of the plate breakup. (2) Biostratigraphy and isotopic dating indicate the salt deposition started at 118-116 Ma and ended at 115-110 Ma, and the differences are caused by incomplete Aptian international framework and scarce radiometric data, which could be solved by precise correlation of chemostratigraphy. (3) The northern part of the salt basin is richer in soluble components than the southern part. Compared with the two models of seawater that originated from the southern ocean and from serpentinization dehydration, the hydrothermal brine model in which seawater is originated from the northern ocean can better explain its compositional differences and is consistent with paleontological, paleogeographic and paleoclimate materials. (4) Based on the differences in understanding of ocean-continent boundaries, the origin of unconformities, and the mechanism of basin subsidence, there are different views on whether the evaporates were deposited before, after, or during the rifting. Clarifying the nature of the subsalt basement is the key to solving this problem. (5) It is necessary to comprehensively analyze whether the salt rock was deposited in a shallow water deep basin or a shallow water shallow basin environment based on paleoclimate and paleogeography. Moreover, as evaporation proceeds, the level of the salt basin does not remain unchanged.