caliche clay

Encyclopedia Article

Article

Also called hardpan, this is a hardened layer of soil formed by calcium deposits. Caliche develops over thousands of years in arid and semi-arid regions when calcium from groundwater collects as the water evaporates.

Photo Credit: 

 
"Typic Petrocalcid (loamy-skeletal, mixed, thermic)" by Soil Science is licensed under CC BY.

Published Works: 
The Blessing Way (1970)
The Dark Wind (1982)
Term Type: 
Natural Environment Reference