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Re: Hardpan?

At 06:32 PM 9/28/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Hardpan is like compressed soil... its so hard the only way to get through
>it is with a pick (if you are lucky) My husband says its a product of the
>ice age, the pressure from the ice was so great it actually pushed the
>earth down under the weight. The soil we have on top of the hard pan is
>that formed since the end of the ice age so its only about 10-12 thousand
>years old. At least thats what he says, Mr. Geology Buff. In other places
>it may be just compacted clay. We try feebly to break ours up with a big
>pointed iron bar. Its so heavy I can hardly hold it. But I just try to
>break through enough, then fill in with compost in hopes the earthworms
>will help. I think its pretty common here in the pacific northwest because
>of the all the glacial action, and most of us have clay soil too. 
>Evonne (zone 8/pac nw)
>
>
>>Hate to sound like a dummy . . .but what is hardpan?  I'm in the midwest
>>and we have clay . . .but I don't know what hardpan is.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Lena
>>Lena36@juno.com
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In Idaho, the correct name for it is caliche, pronounced cleechey.  It's a
layer of calcium carbonate, such as formed in dry soils in arid regions.  I
think it's a chemical aggregation rather than a glacial effect here, at
least.  In this southwest Idaho valley its depth ranges from about 30
inches to some outbreaks on the surface of the soil.  It's about an inch
thick and might as well be concrete.  Margaret
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