Soil series profile

Gatewood soil series

Gatewood is a moderately well drained soil with a very gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 798,529 acres in 64 counties in MO. Hydrologic group D.

#272 by mapped area very-fine Oxyaquic Hapludalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Hydrologic group: D
Typical topsoil pH: 6.2
Mapped area: 799k

Typical Gatewood profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Gatewood horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–2 in (A)	Very gravelly silt loam	6.9	15%	29%	3.8%
2–10 in (E)	Very gravelly silt loam	6.7	14%	29%	0.75%
10–28 in (2Bt)	Clay	5.8	70%	7%	0.75%
28–79 in (2R)	Bedrock	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Representative values from the most extensive Gatewood map unit (Gatewood very gravelly silt loam, 15 to 35 percent slopes, stony, survey area MO151). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

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

What this means

What Gatewood soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Gatewood soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 5.4 and 6.9), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Gatewood acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is very gravelly silt loam (74% of mapped Gatewood acres).

100% of mapped Gatewood 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 Gatewood 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 Gatewood soil is found

Mapped acres

Gatewood is mapped in Missouri. The 60 counties with the most Gatewood acres:

Counties with the most mapped Gatewood soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Osage County, MO	89,838	23.3%
Ozark County, MO	89,563	18.8%
Taney County, MO	77,288	19.2%
Maries County, MO	63,762	18.9%
Douglas County, MO	41,426	8.0%
Franklin County, MO	34,023	5.8%
Texas County, MO	31,651	4.2%
Dallas County, MO	30,208	8.7%
Laclede County, MO	26,629	5.4%
Christian County, MO	26,401	7.3%
Phelps County, MO	25,321	5.9%
Gasconade County, MO	24,842	7.5%
Cole County, MO	21,533	8.6%
Camden County, MO	20,738	4.9%
Oregon County, MO	20,152	4.0%
Webster County, MO	19,450	5.1%
Barry County, MO	17,939	3.6%
Miller County, MO	17,185	4.5%
Polk County, MO	17,013	4.2%
Stone County, MO	12,872	4.3%
Crawford County, MO	12,235	2.6%
Jefferson County, MO	9,054	2.2%
Washington County, MO	8,536	1.8%
Iron County, MO	7,985	2.3%
Wright County, MO	6,735	1.5%
Pulaski County, MO	5,640	1.6%
Greene County, MO	4,471	1.0%
Howell County, MO	4,128	0.7%
Ste. Genevieve County, MO	3,934	1.2%
Moniteau County, MO	3,721	1.4%
Perry County, MO	3,262	1.1%
Ripley County, MO	3,171	0.8%
Pike County, MO	2,592	0.6%
St. Francois County, MO	2,154	0.8%
Ralls County, MO	2,106	0.7%
Warren County, MO	1,299	0.5%
Marion County, MO	1,170	0.4%
McDonald County, MO	1,098	0.3%
St. Charles County, MO	982	0.3%
Lincoln County, MO	837	0.2%
Bollinger County, MO	800	0.2%
Cedar County, MO	739	0.2%
Saline County, MO	614	0.1%
Reynolds County, MO	550	0.1%
St. Louis County, MO	487	0.1%
Montgomery County, MO	485	0.1%
Hickory County, MO	364	0.1%
Cooper County, MO	266	0.1%
Cape Girardeau County, MO	262	0.1%
Shannon County, MO	170	0.0%
Audrain County, MO	140	0.0%
Boone County, MO	126	0.0%
Wayne County, MO	109	0.0%
Dade County, MO	107	0.0%
Lawrence County, MO	78	0.0%
St. Clair County, MO	52	0.0%
Pettis County, MO	51	0.0%
Newton County, MO	48	0.0%
Monroe County, MO	46	0.0%
Dent County, MO	32	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Gatewood acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 100%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Gatewood acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Gatewood acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	100.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Gatewood acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 2.2 feet (26 in) (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 7–33% (median 25%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 3.8%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 0%

Moderately well drained 100%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Gatewood acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Gatewood acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	0.0%
Moderately well drained	100.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 100%

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%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Gatewood acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Gatewood acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
C: slow infiltration	0.0%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)	100.0%
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 Gatewood (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 798,529 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Gatewood components. The profile comes from the single largest Gatewood component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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