hardpan

noun

hard·​pan ˈhärd-ˌpan 

1

: a cemented or compacted and often clayey layer in soil that is impenetrable by roots

2

: a fundamental part : bedrock

Examples of hardpan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This year's Burning Man festival abruptly dumped 70,000 people into that scenario when torrential rains turned the hardpan of the Black Rock desert into a soupy, muddy mess and organizers told attendees to shelter in place and conserve food and water. —Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 6 Sep. 2023

This hardpan is called caleche, and is equivalent to a 2-inch thick layer of concrete. —Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 31 Jan. 2018

But the wind was gusting to 30 mph, and the sun baked out greens that became like Texas hardpan. —Doug Ferguson, Orange County Register, 23 Mar. 2017

Root constriction caused by hardpan or compacted soil, sunburn, borer insects, soil nematodes, root rot, powdery mildew and spider mites might also be affecting the tree. —Debbie Arrington, sacbee.com, 25 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1