Soil series profile
Gore soil series
Gore is a moderately well drained soil with a very fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 295,436 acres in 27 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 88% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.3
- Mapped area
- 295k acres in 27 counties, 2 states
Typical Gore profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (H1) | Very fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 10% | 64% | 2.25% |
| 6–48 in (H2) | Clay | 6.8 | 50% | 22% | 0.1% |
| 48–73 in (H3) | Clay | 6.8 | 60% | 12% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Gore soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Gore soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3. 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 88% of mapped Gore acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (58% of mapped Gore acres).
99% of mapped Gore acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 88% 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 88% of the acres in mapped Gore soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (12% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Gore soil is found
Mapped acres
Gore is mapped in Louisiana and Arkansas.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Rapides Parish, LA | 68,722 | 8.2% |
| Webster Parish, LA | 45,798 | 11.9% |
| Bossier Parish, LA | 37,995 | 7.1% |
| Grant Parish, LA | 22,412 | 5.5% |
| Lafayette County, AR | 19,887 | 5.9% |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 14,076 | 1.8% |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 13,058 | 2.3% |
| Vernon Parish, LA | 10,435 | 1.2% |
| Little River County, AR | 9,979 | 2.9% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 8,494 | 1.5% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 6,874 | 1.3% |
| White County, AR | 5,974 | 0.9% |
| Miller County, AR | 5,905 | 1.5% |
| Winn Parish, LA | 4,463 | 0.7% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 4,443 | 1.0% |
| Red River Parish, LA | 2,823 | 1.2% |
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 2,768 | 0.7% |
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 2,738 | 0.4% |
| Columbia County, AR | 2,266 | 0.5% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 1,730 | 0.2% |
| Allen Parish, LA | 1,677 | 0.3% |
| Monroe County, AR | 843 | 0.2% |
| Union Parish, LA | 825 | 0.1% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 440 | 0.1% |
| Bienville Parish, LA | 387 | 0.1% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 339 | 0.1% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 87 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Gore acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 87.8% |
| Not rated | 12.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Gore acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.8 feet (22 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–9% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.5% |
| Moderately well drained | 98.5% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.2% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
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 | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 87.8% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 12.2% |
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 Gore (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 295,436 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Gore components. The profile comes from the single largest Gore component. Full methodology.