ca·li·che 
(kə-lēchē)
(kə-lēchē)n.
1.
a. A mineral deposit rich in sodium nitrate occurring naturally in Chile, Peru, and the southwest United States, and used as fertilizer, in explosives, and as a raw material for manufacturing nitric acid.
b. See sodium nitrate.
2.
a. The accretions of calcium carbonate in soil.
b. See hardpan.
[American Spanish, from Spanish, pebble in a brick, flake of lime, from cal, lime, from Latin calx, calc-, lime; see CALX.]