What's My Soil

A field guide to the soil under your feet

Soil series profile

Harkers soil series

Harkers is a well drained soil with a cobbly loam surface, mapped on 24,446 acres in 4 counties in UT. Hydrologic group C.

#9364 by mapped area fine Typic Palexerolls (Mollisols)

Drainage class
Well drained
94% of mapped acres
Hydrologic group
C
94% of mapped acres
Typical topsoil pH
7.0
neutral · range 7.0–7.0
Mapped area
24k
acres in 4 counties, 1 state

Typical Harkers profile

Texture and pH by depth

Typical Harkers soil profile by depth 0 in 20 in 40 in 60 in 0–14 in · A1 · pH 7.0 · 24% clay Cobbly loam 14–19 in · B1t · pH 7.0 · 38% clay Gravelly clay loam 19–42 in · B21t · pH 7.0 · 48% clay Gravelly clay 42–58 in · B22t · pH 7.0 · 48% clay Very gravelly clay 58–80 in · C1ca · pH 7.0 · 38% clay Very gravelly 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 Harkers horizons (representative values)
Depth Texture pH Clay Sand Organic matter
0–14 in (A1) Cobbly loam 7.0 24% 39% 4%
14–19 in (B1t) Gravelly clay loam 7.0 38% 30% 1.5%
19–42 in (B21t) Gravelly clay 7.0 48% 23% 0.75%
42–58 in (B22t) Very gravelly clay 7.0 48% 23% 0.75%
58–80 in (C1ca) Very gravelly clay loam 7.0 38% 30% 0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Harkers map unit (Harkers soils, 6 to 40 percent slopes, survey area UT612). 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 Harkers soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Harkers soils is neutral: pH 7.0, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of mapped Harkers acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (52% of mapped Harkers acres).

94% of mapped Harkers acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

On 94% 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 94% of the acres in mapped Harkers soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% 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.

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

Where Harkers soil is found

Mapped acres

Harkers is mapped in Utah.

Counties with the most mapped Harkers soil
County Acres Share of county land
Salt Lake County, UT 19,389 3.9%
Utah County, UT 2,311 0.2%
Sanpete County, UT 2,059 0.3%
Davis County, UT 687 0.5%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Harkers acres

Not limited 0%
Somewhat limited 0%
Very limited 94%
Not rated 6%
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Harkers acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Harkers acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Not limited0.0%
Somewhat limited0.0%
Very limited93.9%
Not rated6.1%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Harkers 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 23–32% (median 23%).
Topsoil organic matter
Median 4%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%
Somewhat excessively drained 0%
Well drained 94%
Moderately well drained 0%
Somewhat poorly drained 0%
Poorly drained 0%
Very poorly drained 0%
Not rated 6%
Drainage class across mapped Harkers acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Drainage class across mapped Harkers acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Excessively drained0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained0.0%
Well drained94.0%
Moderately well drained0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained0.0%
Poorly drained0.0%
Very poorly drained0.0%
Not rated6.0%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%
B: moderate infiltration 0%
C: slow infiltration 94%
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 6%
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Harkers acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Harkers acres.
CategoryShare of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)0.0%
B: moderate infiltration0.0%
C: slow infiltration93.9%
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 rated6.1%

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 Harkers (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 24,446 acres.
Method
Shares are by mapped acres of Harkers components. The profile comes from the single largest Harkers component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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