Soil series profile
Catoctin soil series
Catoctin is a well drained soil with a channery silt loam surface, mapped on 96,870 acres in 23 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.8–5.8
- Mapped area
- 97k acres in 23 counties, 4 states
Typical Catoctin profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (H1) | Channery silt loam | 5.8 | 15% | 30% | 1.25% |
| 4–22 in (H2) | Very channery silt loam | 5.8 | 20% | 27% | 0.5% |
| 22–28 in (H3) | Extremely channery silt loam | 6.5 | 18% | 29% | 0.1% |
| 28–38 in (H4) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Catoctin soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Catoctin soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8. Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Catoctin acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is channery silt loam (51% of mapped Catoctin acres).
100% of mapped Catoctin 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 100% of the acres in mapped Catoctin 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 Catoctin soil is found
Mapped acres
Catoctin is mapped in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Loudoun County, VA | 20,471 | 7.2% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 13,256 | 3.5% |
| Frederick County, MD | 12,968 | 3.1% |
| Adams County, PA | 11,512 | 3.5% |
| Page County, VA | 7,044 | 4.2% |
| Greene County, VA | 4,840 | 5.7% |
| Warren County, VA | 4,598 | 3.9% |
| Nelson County, VA | 4,097 | 1.7% |
| Carroll County, MD | 3,216 | 1.1% |
| Culpeper County, VA | 2,495 | 1.2% |
| Madison County, VA | 2,461 | 1.4% |
| Clarke County, VA | 2,457 | 2.7% |
| Franklin County, PA | 1,537 | 0.3% |
| Washington County, MD | 1,360 | 0.5% |
| Orange County, VA | 1,090 | 0.6% |
| York County, PA | 1,021 | 0.2% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 1,013 | 0.3% |
| Amherst County, VA | 981 | 0.4% |
| Chester County, PA | 167 | 0.0% |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 163 | 0.1% |
| Jefferson County, WV | 63 | 0.1% |
| Charlottesville city, VA | 53 | 0.9% |
| Northampton County, PA | 6 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Catoctin 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 Catoctin 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 11–45% (median 20%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 98.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.7% |
| 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 Catoctin (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 96,870 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Catoctin components. The profile comes from the single largest Catoctin component. Full methodology.