Soil series profile
Deception soil series
Deception is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 54,348 acres in 2 counties in AK. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.5
- Mapped area
- 54k acres in 2 counties, 1 state
Typical Deception profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (Oi) | Slightly decomposed plant material | 5.0 | Not reported | Not reported | 60% |
| 4–5 in (E) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 5% | 33% | 6% |
| 5–9 in (Bs) | Silt loam | 5.6 | 5% | 33% | 2% |
| 9–60 in (2C) | Very gravelly loam | 6.7 | 8% | 45% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Deception soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Deception soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 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 Deception acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (100% of mapped Deception acres).
100% of mapped Deception 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 37% of the acres in mapped Deception soils very limited, 63% 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 Deception soil is found
Mapped acres
Deception is mapped in Alaska.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK | 30,281 | 0.6% |
| Anchorage Municipality, AK | 24,067 | 4.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Deception acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 63.3% |
| Very limited | 36.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Deception 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 4–40% (median 9%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 6%.
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 Deception (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 54,348 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Deception components. The profile comes from the single largest Deception component. Full methodology.