Soil series profile
Goss soil series
Goss is a well drained soil with a very gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 1,473,555 acres in 102 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 65% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.0 moderately acidic · range 5.1–6.0
- Mapped area
- 1.5M acres in 102 counties, 4 states
Typical Goss profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Very gravelly silt loam | 6.0 | 16% | 14% | 2% |
| 6–19 in (E) | Extremely gravelly silt loam | 5.6 | 16% | 18% | 0.3% |
| 19–60 in (2Bt1) | Very gravelly silty clay loam | 6.3 | 38% | 18% | 0.2% |
| 60–79 in (2Bt2) | Cobbly clay | 6.0 | 70% | 10% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Goss soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Goss soils is moderately acidic: pH 6.0 (most land between 5.1 and 6.0). 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 Goss acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly silt loam (48% of mapped Goss acres).
100% of mapped Goss acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 89% 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 97% of the acres in mapped Goss soils very limited, 3% 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 Goss soil is found
Mapped acres
Goss is mapped in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas. The 60 counties with the most Goss acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, MO | 86,351 | 22.6% |
| Greene County, MO | 75,830 | 17.5% |
| Dade County, MO | 68,664 | 21.9% |
| Washington County, MO | 67,190 | 13.8% |
| Benton County, MO | 65,443 | 14.6% |
| Callaway County, MO | 64,078 | 12.0% |
| Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 58,911 | 18.3% |
| Pike County, MO | 58,526 | 13.7% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 56,141 | 13.0% |
| Christian County, MO | 52,949 | 14.7% |
| Franklin County, MO | 48,903 | 8.4% |
| Polk County, MO | 45,654 | 11.2% |
| Ralls County, MO | 38,235 | 12.7% |
| Cedar County, MO | 36,037 | 11.8% |
| Crawford County, MO | 33,609 | 7.1% |
| Iron County, MO | 33,003 | 9.4% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 32,613 | 8.1% |
| Cooper County, MO | 32,332 | 9.0% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 31,642 | 11.0% |
| Perry County, MO | 31,468 | 10.4% |
| Warren County, MO | 28,662 | 10.4% |
| McDonald County, MO | 27,318 | 7.9% |
| Dallas County, MO | 25,991 | 7.5% |
| Hickory County, MO | 22,534 | 8.8% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 21,709 | 6.1% |
| Marion County, MO | 21,628 | 7.7% |
| Pike County, IL | 19,748 | 4.0% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 17,846 | 4.5% |
| Webster County, MO | 17,118 | 4.5% |
| Pettis County, MO | 15,631 | 3.6% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 15,403 | 3.7% |
| Camden County, MO | 15,343 | 3.7% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 14,427 | 4.0% |
| Miller County, MO | 14,323 | 3.8% |
| Monroe County, MO | 13,248 | 3.2% |
| Saline County, MO | 13,041 | 2.7% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 12,758 | 3.7% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 10,093 | 2.0% |
| Jersey County, IL | 9,957 | 4.3% |
| Stone County, MO | 9,534 | 3.2% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 8,395 | 3.2% |
| Shannon County, MO | 7,695 | 1.2% |
| Henry County, MO | 7,510 | 1.7% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 7,100 | 4.8% |
| Jasper County, MO | 6,933 | 1.7% |
| Wayne County, MO | 5,712 | 1.2% |
| Osage County, MO | 3,837 | 1.0% |
| Oregon County, MO | 3,673 | 0.7% |
| Boone County, MO | 3,668 | 0.8% |
| Carter County, MO | 3,643 | 1.1% |
| Maries County, MO | 3,418 | 1.0% |
| Union County, IL | 3,318 | 1.4% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 3,154 | 0.9% |
| Newton County, MO | 2,763 | 0.7% |
| Texas County, MO | 2,634 | 0.3% |
| Laclede County, MO | 2,301 | 0.5% |
| Cole County, MO | 2,195 | 0.9% |
| Clark County, MO | 2,137 | 0.7% |
| Howard County, MO | 2,116 | 0.7% |
| Lewis County, MO | 2,063 | 0.6% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Goss acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 3.3% |
| Very limited | 96.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Goss 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 6–32% (median 25%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 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 | 11.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 65.2% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 23.4% |
| 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 Goss (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,473,555 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Goss components. The profile comes from the single largest Goss component. Full methodology.