caliche

A noun referring to a hardened layer of subsoil encrusted with calcium carbonate, found in arid regions, or a nitrate-bearing rock or gravel from sodium nitrate deposits in Chile and Peru.

• 🇩🇪Verfestigte Unterbodenschicht, die von einer Kruste aus Calciumcarbonat bedeckt ist und in Trockengebieten vorkommt; auch nitrathaltiges Gestein oder Kies aus Natriumnitratlagerstätten in Chile und Peru.

1. Hard subsoil crust C1 formal

   A hardened layer of soil found in dry regions, often containing calcium carbonate.

   • Farmers in the desert struggled to break through the caliche layer.
   • The caliche made it difficult for plant roots to penetrate the ground.
   • Construction crews had to use special equipment to dig through the caliche.

   🇩🇪Caliche

   Synonyme: hardpan

2. Nitrate-bearing deposit C2 formal

   A mineral deposit containing sodium nitrate, found in the deserts of Chile and Peru.

   • The caliche deposits in the Atacama Desert were a major source of nitrates.
   • Miners extracted caliche for use in fertilizers and explosives.
   • The region's economy once relied heavily on caliche mining.

   🇩🇪Caliche

• caliches plural form
• caliches' possessive plural form
• caliche's possessive singular form