Soil series profile
Bucklebar soil series
Bucklebar is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 300,444 acres in 10 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 82% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.2 neutral · range 6.9–7.9
- Mapped area
- 300k acres in 10 counties, 2 states
Typical Bucklebar profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (A) | Sandy loam | 7.2 | 14% | 67% | 0.75% |
| 9–37 in (Bt) | Loam | 7.9 | 27% | 37% | 0.75% |
| 37–60 in (Btk) | Loam | 7.9 | 27% | 37% | 0.75% |
What this means
What Bucklebar soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bucklebar soils is neutral: pH 7.2 (most land between 6.9 and 7.9), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 97% of mapped Bucklebar acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (89% of mapped Bucklebar acres).
100% of mapped Bucklebar 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 18% of the acres in mapped Bucklebar soils very limited, 82% 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 Bucklebar soil is found
Mapped acres
Bucklebar is mapped in Arizona and New Mexico.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Pima County, AZ | 145,733 | 2.8% |
| Pinal County, AZ | 52,420 | 1.6% |
| Grant County, NM | 42,663 | 2.3% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 30,179 | 1.2% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 13,163 | 0.4% |
| Socorro County, NM | 9,321 | 0.3% |
| Graham County, AZ | 2,035 | 0.1% |
| Gila County, AZ | 1,837 | 0.1% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 1,802 | 0.0% |
| Greenlee County, AZ | 1,290 | 0.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bucklebar acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 81.6% |
| Very limited | 18.1% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bucklebar 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 2–6% (median 2%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
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 | 81.6% |
| C: slow infiltration | 18.1% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
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 Bucklebar (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 300,444 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bucklebar components. The profile comes from the single largest Bucklebar component. Full methodology.