hardpan.

A dense or hardened soil layer that restricts water movement or root penetration.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• soil hardpan
• compact hardpan

On the page

Water pooled above the hardpan.

The roots spread sideways against compact hardpan.

Usage notes

Primary category: environment. Forms: Singular hardpan; plural hardpans. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.