Soil series profile
Captina soil series
Captina is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 504,831 acres in 59 counties across 9 states. Hydrologic group C/D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C/D 72% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.7 very strongly acidic · range 4.7–5.5
- Mapped area
- 505k acres in 59 counties, 9 states
Typical Captina profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 4.7 | 10% | 14% | 4.5% |
| 5–25 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.0 | 31% | 7% | 0.4% |
| 25–50 in (2Btx) | Very gravelly silt loam | 4.7 | 23% | 10% | 0.2% |
| 50–79 in (3Bt2) | Gravelly clay | 4.6 | 57% | 18% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Captina soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Captina soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.7 (most land between 4.7 and 5.5). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Captina acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (>99% of mapped Captina acres).
100% of mapped Captina acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Captina soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Captina soil is found
Mapped acres
Captina is mapped in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Benton County, AR | 55,298 | 10.3% |
| Ripley County, MO | 45,892 | 11.5% |
| Randolph County, AR | 42,758 | 10.3% |
| Butler County, MO | 34,116 | 7.8% |
| Washington County, AR | 33,862 | 5.6% |
| Carter County, MO | 23,858 | 7.4% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 23,831 | 6.1% |
| Lawrence County, AR | 23,761 | 6.4% |
| Wayne County, MO | 23,178 | 4.8% |
| Delaware County, OK | 18,519 | 3.9% |
| Adair County, OK | 17,110 | 4.7% |
| Independence County, AR | 13,896 | 2.8% |
| Shannon County, MO | 13,509 | 2.1% |
| Cherokee County, OK | 11,725 | 2.4% |
| Carroll County, AR | 11,495 | 2.8% |
| Williamson County, TN | 9,075 | 2.4% |
| Oregon County, MO | 8,783 | 1.7% |
| Sharp County, AR | 8,061 | 2.1% |
| Iron County, MO | 6,610 | 1.9% |
| Marshall County, AL | 5,635 | 1.8% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 5,357 | 1.4% |
| Webster County, MO | 5,335 | 1.4% |
| Warren County, TN | 5,305 | 1.9% |
| Fulton County, AR | 5,177 | 1.3% |
| Boone County, AR | 4,970 | 1.3% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 4,368 | 2.4% |
| Barry County, MO | 4,208 | 0.8% |
| Baxter County, AR | 4,200 | 1.2% |
| Madison County, MO | 3,709 | 1.2% |
| Ottawa County, OK | 3,520 | 1.2% |
| Christian County, MO | 3,430 | 1.0% |
| Madison County, AR | 3,424 | 0.6% |
| Coffee County, TN | 3,257 | 1.2% |
| Newton County, MO | 2,449 | 0.6% |
| Sumner County, TN | 1,804 | 0.5% |
| Morgan County, AL | 1,763 | 0.5% |
| Marion County, AR | 1,713 | 0.5% |
| Calhoun County, AL | 1,518 | 0.4% |
| Mayes County, OK | 1,296 | 0.3% |
| Maury County, TN | 1,259 | 0.3% |
| Monroe County, WV | 1,192 | 0.4% |
| Izard County, AR | 1,035 | 0.3% |
| Franklin County, AL | 767 | 0.2% |
| Whitley County, KY | 530 | 0.2% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 380 | 0.1% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 373 | 0.1% |
| Searcy County, AR | 339 | 0.1% |
| Dent County, MO | 171 | 0.0% |
| Craig County, OK | 157 | 0.0% |
| Stone County, MO | 152 | 0.1% |
| Jasper County, MO | 147 | 0.0% |
| Greene County, MO | 133 | 0.0% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 112 | 0.0% |
| Monroe County, OH | 98 | 0.0% |
| Wright County, MO | 82 | 0.0% |
| Newton County, AR | 54 | 0.0% |
| Stone County, AR | 50 | 0.0% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 13 | 0.0% |
| McCreary County, KY | 11 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Captina acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Captina acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.7 feet (20 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 3% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–5% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.1% |
| Moderately well drained | 99.9% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 17.2% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 10.5% |
| 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 | 72.3% |
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 Captina (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 504,831 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Captina components. The profile comes from the single largest Captina component. Full methodology.