What's My Soil

A field guide to the soil under your feet

Soil series profile

Clifton soil series

Clifton is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 133,042 acres in 11 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.

#2757 by mapped area fine Typic Hapludults (Ultisols)

Drainage class
Well drained
>99% of mapped acres
Hydrologic group
B
96% of mapped acres
Typical topsoil pH
5.5
strongly acidic · range 5.5–5.5
Mapped area
133k
acres in 11 counties, 3 states

Typical Clifton profile

Texture and pH by depth

Typical Clifton soil profile by depth 0 in 20 in 40 in 60 in 0–4 in · A · pH 5.5 · 16% clay Fine sandy loam 4–8 in · Bt1 · pH 5.5 · 30% clay Clay loam 8–27 in · Bt2 · pH 5.5 · 45% clay Clay 27–36 in · BC · pH 5.5 · 16% clay Loam 36–80 in · C · pH 5.5 · 16% clay Loam
Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).
Show as a table
Typical Clifton horizons (representative values)
Depth Texture pH Clay Sand Organic matter
0–4 in (A) Fine sandy loam 5.5 16% 62% 2%
4–8 in (Bt1) Clay loam 5.5 30% 35% 0.75%
8–27 in (Bt2) Clay 5.5 45% 26% 0.25%
27–36 in (BC) Loam 5.5 16% 44% 0.25%
36–80 in (C) Loam 5.5 16% 44% 0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Clifton map unit (Clifton-Evard complex, 10 to 25 percent slopes, survey area GA637). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Hands holding dark garden soil
Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Clifton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Clifton soils is strongly acidic: pH 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 >99% of mapped Clifton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is clay loam (50% of mapped Clifton acres).

>99% of mapped Clifton 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Clifton 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Clifton soil is found

Mapped acres

Clifton is mapped in North Carolina, Georgia and Utah.

Counties with the most mapped Clifton soil
County Acres Share of county land
Buncombe County, NC 47,936 12.2%
Union County, GA 22,784 12.0%
Fannin County, GA 19,738 8.7%
Ashe County, NC 11,124 4.9%
Madison County, NC 10,572 3.9%
Yancey County, NC 10,200 5.8%
Alleghany County, NC 5,037 4.0%
Mitchell County, NC 4,525 3.6%
Box Elder County, UT 490 0.0%
Habersham County, GA 448 0.3%
Swain County, NC 188 0.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Clifton acres

Not limited 0%
Somewhat limited 0%
Very limited >99%
Not rated <1%
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Clifton acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Clifton acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Not limited0.0%
Somewhat limited0.0%
Very limited99.6%
Not rated0.4%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Clifton 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 12–38% (median 18%).
Topsoil organic matter
Median 1%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%
Somewhat excessively drained 0%
Well drained >99%
Moderately well drained 0%
Somewhat poorly drained 0%
Poorly drained 0%
Very poorly drained 0%
Not rated <1%
Drainage class across mapped Clifton acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Drainage class across mapped Clifton acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Excessively drained0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained0.0%
Well drained99.6%
Moderately well drained0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained0.0%
Poorly drained0.0%
Very poorly drained0.0%
Not rated0.4%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%
B: moderate infiltration 96%
C: slow infiltration 4%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%
A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%
Not rated <1%
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Clifton acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Clifton acres.
CategoryShare of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)0.0%
B: moderate infiltration95.6%
C: slow infiltration4.0%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)0.0%
A/D: D as is, A if drained0.0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained0.0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained0.0%
Not rated0.4%

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 Clifton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 133,042 acres.
Method
Shares are by mapped acres of Clifton components. The profile comes from the single largest Clifton component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Clifton.