Periodic vegetation patterns are observed across arid landscapes. Self-organization into bands of vegetation (groves) and bare ground (intergroves) concentrates resources towards areas of growth and diverts them away from dying/dead-zones. In a short-grass ecosystem in south-central Colorado, vegetation has organized into this pattern and intensified over the past two decades alongside increasing temperatures and drought. How these patterns develop and respond to regime shifts is an important area of study as pattern-changes are considered an early warning sign of ecosystem collapse. In this study, we aim to understand how subsurface conditions may be impacting vegetation patterns. We are interested in potential evidence of early Petrocalcic Horizon development in the soil, which could have the effect of decreasing soil infiltration and water storage capacity of the landscape. We performed three tests: 1) 94-meter subsurface electrical resistivity test using the AGI Superstring Monitoring System, 2) XRF-spectrometer analysis of soil samples taken at one intergrove and one grove site at of 10cm and 70cm depths to determine potential changes in soil structure and elemental abundance, and 3) HCl decantation of soil samples at these same sites at 10cm intervals up to 70cm to measure specific amounts of calcium carbonate (calcite) present at different soil depths. Results from the electrical resistivity test showed a potential correlation between groves and low subsurface-resistivity, possibly due to increased soil moisture and higher calcite precipitation under groves. Results from the XRF analyses showed the biggest increase in relative abundance of calcium out of any element between 10cm and 70cm depths— +22.08% at intergrove site and +32.44% at grove site. The HCl decantation showed a stark increase in calcium content at 40 cm at both grove and intergrove sites, suggesting the start of a carbonate accumulation zone at this depth— with calcium content (grams) at 40cm being 3x and 4x higher than surface levels at intergrove and grove sites, respectively. The grove site had higher calcium content at 70cm than intergrove site, possibly due to root presence increasing CO2 in the soil needed for calcite precipitation. Qualitative data suggests early petrocalcic development at both sites, observed through calcium nodule formation and a shift to powdery-calcified soil (distinctly lighter in color) below 40cm. More research is needed to understand how subsurface accumulation of carbonates in the soil could affect water storage capacity and vegetation patterns, and the long-term implications of this for the health of the ecosystem.