The hardpan is a type of soil that is very difficult to dig up. It is usually found in areas that have been dry for a long time.
The hardpan is a problem because it's difficult to get the water out.
The hardpan is a problem because it's difficult to plant crops in it.
noun
crust or layer of hard subsoil encrusted with calcium-carbonate occurring in arid or semiarid regions
Synonyms:
1
There is no valley anywhere that is all hardpan, by definition.
2
Over ploughing can lead to the formation of hardpan.
3
Underlying this relatively inhospitable soil is a clay hardpan.
4
Soils are high in nutrients, overlying a shallow calcareous hardpan.
5
A red clay loam layer above the hardpan was recognized.
6
The hardpan was expected to be encountered within a depth of 6 feet.
7
Redder in the surface and denser hardpan than associated Madera soil.
8
One such common soil condition related to hardpan is soil pH.
9
A thick layer of humus with a phosphate hardpan lies under the Pisonia forests.
10
An area can have layers of sandy soil, fractured bedrock, clay, or hardpan.