Soil series profile

Marvyn soil series

Marvyn is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 133,928 acres in 13 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.

#2744 by mapped area fine-loamy Typic Kanhapludults (Ultisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 5.3
Mapped area: 134k

Typical Marvyn 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 Marvyn horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–7 in (H1)	Loamy sand	5.3	5%	80%	1.25%
7–30 in (H2)	Sandy clay loam	5.0	27%	56%	0.5%
30–61 in (H3)	Sandy clay	5.0	35%	52%	0.3%
61–72 in (H4)	Sandy loam	5.0	15%	70%	0.15%

Representative values from the most extensive Marvyn map unit (Marvyn loamy sand, 1 to 6 percent slopes, survey area AL081). 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 Marvyn soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Marvyn 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.

Sandy topsoil covers 68% of mapped Marvyn acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is loamy fine sand (43% of mapped Marvyn acres).

100% of mapped Marvyn acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates <1% of the acres in mapped Marvyn soils very limited, >99% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.

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 Marvyn soil is found

Mapped acres

Marvyn is mapped in Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Counties with the most mapped Marvyn soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Lee County, AL	27,346	8.0%
Macon County, AL	19,997	5.8%
Sampson County, NC	19,711	3.5%
Duplin County, NC	19,573	4.2%
Onslow County, NC	16,114	3.6%
Elmore County, AL	12,596	3.5%
Tallapoosa County, AL	4,095	1.0%
Pender County, NC	3,702	0.7%
Russell County, AL	3,698	1.0%
Brunswick County, NC	2,129	0.4%
Chilton County, AL	2,043	0.5%
Jones County, NC	1,996	0.7%
Lee County, SC	927	0.4%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Marvyn acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited >99%

Very limited <1%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Marvyn acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	99.3%
Very limited	0.7%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Marvyn 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 3–11% (median 6%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Marvyn acres.
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

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

B: moderate infiltration 100%

C: slow infiltration 0%

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%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Marvyn acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	100.0%
C: slow infiltration	0.0%
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 Marvyn (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 133,928 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Marvyn components. The profile comes from the single largest Marvyn component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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