Soil series profile
Amarillo soil series
Amarillo is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 3,044,507 acres in 31 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.5 slightly alkaline · range 7.4–7.5
- Mapped area
- 3.0M acres in 31 counties, 2 states
Typical Amarillo profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Fine sandy loam | 7.5 | 16% | 68% | 0.9% |
| 10–41 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 7.6 | 25% | 58% | 0.5% |
| 41–56 in (Btkk) | Sandy clay loam | 8.3 | 34% | 47% | 0.15% |
| 56–80 in (Btk) | Sandy clay loam | 8.1 | 30% | 51% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Amarillo soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Amarillo soils is slightly alkaline: pH 7.5 (most land between 7.4 and 7.5). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 73% of mapped Amarillo acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (73% of mapped Amarillo acres).
100% of mapped Amarillo acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 0% of the acres in mapped Amarillo soils very limited, >99% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Amarillo soil is found
Mapped acres
Amarillo is mapped in Texas and New Mexico.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, TX | 270,353 | 46.8% |
| Hockley County, TX | 244,639 | 42.1% |
| Lamb County, TX | 232,144 | 35.7% |
| Terry County, TX | 225,870 | 39.6% |
| Cochran County, TX | 211,471 | 42.6% |
| Martin County, TX | 210,188 | 36.0% |
| Curry County, NM | 201,364 | 22.8% |
| Roosevelt County, NM | 197,342 | 12.6% |
| Lynn County, TX | 147,178 | 25.8% |
| Yoakum County, TX | 139,651 | 27.3% |
| Bailey County, TX | 131,799 | 24.9% |
| Midland County, TX | 118,486 | 20.6% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 107,767 | 18.7% |
| Gaines County, TX | 88,800 | 9.3% |
| Quay County, NM | 83,560 | 4.5% |
| Howard County, TX | 79,206 | 13.8% |
| Harding County, NM | 78,590 | 5.5% |
| Lea County, NM | 72,631 | 2.6% |
| Oldham County, TX | 60,906 | 6.4% |
| Parmer County, TX | 37,373 | 6.6% |
| Crosby County, TX | 34,873 | 6.1% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 31,937 | 5.5% |
| Hale County, TX | 19,481 | 3.0% |
| Armstrong County, TX | 7,096 | 1.2% |
| Randall County, TX | 6,873 | 1.2% |
| Garza County, TX | 1,746 | 0.3% |
| Borden County, TX | 1,424 | 0.2% |
| Castro County, TX | 896 | 0.2% |
| Potter County, TX | 604 | 0.1% |
| Floyd County, TX | 232 | 0.0% |
| Swisher County, TX | 27 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Amarillo acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 99.8% |
| Very limited | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Amarillo acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 0–2% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.9%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 100.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Amarillo (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 3,044,507 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Amarillo components. The profile comes from the single largest Amarillo component. Full methodology.