Caliche
“Desert cement layer”
Caliche
"Desert cement layer"
Caliche (also called calcrete) is a hardened layer of calcium carbonate that forms in arid and semi-arid soils when mineral-rich water is drawn upward by evaporation and deposits a concrete-like crust. It can range from a thin coating to a rock-hard layer several meters thick.
calcite, quartz sand, clay minerals, iron oxides, gypsum (occasional)
American Southwest (USA), Atacama Desert (Chile), Kalahari (Southern Africa), Australian Outback, Middle East
3-4
In parts of the American Southwest, caliche layers are so hard that builders need jackhammers to dig foundations, and they can cause severe drainage problems by trapping water above them.
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Photo Attribution
Title: Caliche Rock.jpg
License: public domain
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