HARDPAN

Hardpan

In soil science, agriculture and gardening, hardpan or ouklip is a general term for a dense layer of soil, usually found below the uppermost topsoil layer. There are different types of hardpan, all sharing the general characteristic of being a distinct soil layer that is largely impervious to water. Some hardpans are formed by deposits in the soil that fuse and bind the soil particles. These deposits can range from dissolved silica to matrices formed from iron oxides and calcium carbonate. Others are man-made, such as hardpan formed by compaction from repeated plowing, particularly with moldboard plows, or by heavy traffic or pollution.

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hardpan

Noun

  1. A distinct layer of soil that is largely impervious to water.
  2. A dry lake.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: hardpan
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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