Tepetate

For the community in Louisiana, see Tepetate, Louisiana.

Tepetate (Spanish tepetate; Nahuatl tepetlatl) is a Mexican term for a geological horizon, hardened by compaction or cementation, found in Mexican volcanic regions.[1] Tepetates at the surface are problematic for agriculture, because of their hardness, poor drainage, and poor fertility. When tepetates lie under the soil, they present a risk for erosion and landslides, because water runs off laterally, rather than being absorbed.

See also

• Caliche (mineral)

References

1. Gama-Castro, Jorge; et al. (2007). "Los tepetates y su dinámica sobre la degradación y el riesgo ambiental: el caso del Glacis de Buenavista, Morelos". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana (in Spanish). 59 (1): 133–145. doi:10.18268/BSGM2007v59n1a11.

• Williams, Barbara J. (1972). "Tepetate in the Valley of Mexico". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 62 (4): 618–626. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1972.tb00890.x.