The lichen was first formally described in 2009 by the lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk, Arne Thell, Ingvar Kärnefelt, and John Elix; it was initially classified in the genus Caloplaca.

The species epithet honours the Danish lichenologist Eric Steen Hansen, who, according to the authors, "has made enormous contributions to our knowledge of lichens in Greenland".

The thallus is generally composed of tiny, scattered areoles that are convex in shape and range from yellow to a dull yellow-orange colour.

The surface of these areoles is almost entirely covered by a mass of soredia, which are coarse, powdery reproductive structures measuring 60–100 μm in width.

[3] Xanthocarpia erichansenii is commonly found growing on exposed loess, a type of soil made of wind-blown silt.