Soil series profile
Marshall soil series
Marshall is a well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 553,161 acres in 35 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.9 moderately acidic · range 5.9–6.0
- Mapped area
- 553k acres in 35 counties, 4 states
Typical Marshall profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 5.9 | 31% | 3% | 3.3% |
| 7–22 in (A) | Silty clay loam | 6.0 | 32% | 3% | 2.7% |
| 22–27 in (BA) | Silty clay loam | 5.9 | 32% | 3% | 1.7% |
| 27–59 in (Bw1) | Silty clay loam | 6.3 | 29% | 4% | 0.8% |
| 59–71 in (Bw2) | Silty clay loam | 6.4 | 28% | 4% | 0.4% |
| 71–79 in (C) | Silty clay loam | 6.5 | 27% | 4% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Marshall soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Marshall soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.9 (most land between 5.9 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 Marshall acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (98% of mapped Marshall acres).
100% of mapped Marshall acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Marshall soils very limited, <1% 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 Marshall soil is found
Mapped acres
Marshall is mapped in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 54,566 | 9.0% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 47,687 | 11.8% |
| Fremont County, IA | 41,062 | 12.5% |
| Cass County, IA | 37,670 | 10.5% |
| Mills County, IA | 37,197 | 13.3% |
| Shelby County, IA | 33,531 | 8.9% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 31,960 | 11.8% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 26,393 | 17.3% |
| Washington County, NE | 26,309 | 10.5% |
| Page County, IA | 23,524 | 6.9% |
| Crawford County, IA | 22,312 | 4.9% |
| Audubon County, IA | 22,237 | 7.8% |
| Carroll County, IA | 18,306 | 5.0% |
| Brown County, KS | 17,814 | 4.9% |
| Andrew County, MO | 13,918 | 5.0% |
| Douglas County, NE | 13,493 | 6.4% |
| Richardson County, NE | 12,276 | 3.5% |
| Ida County, IA | 11,457 | 4.2% |
| Atchison County, MO | 9,829 | 2.8% |
| Holt County, MO | 8,434 | 2.9% |
| Doniphan County, KS | 8,298 | 3.3% |
| Cass County, NE | 5,701 | 1.6% |
| Otoe County, NE | 5,355 | 1.4% |
| Burt County, NE | 5,166 | 1.6% |
| Sac County, IA | 4,559 | 1.2% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 3,950 | 0.7% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 3,213 | 1.2% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 2,239 | 0.9% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 1,891 | 0.5% |
| Clinton County, MO | 1,621 | 0.6% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 746 | 0.1% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 356 | 0.1% |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 79 | 0.1% |
| Atchison County, KS | 8 | 0.0% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 5 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Marshall acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.3% |
| Very limited | 99.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Marshall 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 3–7% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.3%.
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 | 0.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 99.5% |
| 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 Marshall (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 553,161 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Marshall components. The profile comes from the single largest Marshall component. Full methodology.