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hardpan

 - 4 dictionary results
Hard, Compacted Soil?
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Hardpan
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hard⋅pan

  [hahrd-pan]
Use hardpan in a Sentence
–noun
1. any layer of firm detrital matter, as of clay, underlying soft soil. Compare caliche, duricrust.
2. hard, unbroken ground.
3. the fundamental or basic aspect of anything; solid foundation; underlying reality: the hardpan of mathematical theory.
Origin:
1810–20, Americanism; hard + pan 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hardpan
Hard, Compacted Soil?
Fix hard soils naturally, easily and safely. Results guaranteed.
www.JohnAndBobs.com
Hardpan
Buy Hardpan up to 50% cheaper on best-price.com
www.best-price.com/Hardpan
hard·pan   (härd'pān')   
n.  

  1. A layer of hard subsoil or clay. Also called caliche.

  2. Hard, unbroken ground.

  3. A foundation; bedrock.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
hardpan   (härd'pān')  Pronunciation Key 
A hard, usually clay-rich layer of soil lying at or just below the ground surface, in which soil particles are cemented together by silica, iron oxide, calcium carbonate, or organic matter that has precipitated from water percolating through the soil. Hardpans do not soften when exposed to water. Also called caliche.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

hardpan

calcium-richcalcium-rich duricrust, a hardened layer in or on a soil. It is formed on calcareous materials as a result of climatic fluctuations in arid and semiarid regions. Calcite is dissolved in groundwater and, under drying conditions, is precipitated as the water evaporates at the surface. Rainwater saturated with carbon dioxide acts as an acid and also dissolves calcite and then redeposits it as a precipitate on the surfaces of the soil particles; as the interstitial soil spaces are filled, an impermeable crust is formed.

Learn more about hardpan with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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