Soil series profile

Monue soil series

Monue is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 555,648 acres in 11 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.

#476 by mapped area coarse-loamy Typic Haplocambids (Aridisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 8.0
Mapped area: 556k

Typical Monue 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 Monue horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–5 in (H1)	Fine sandy loam	7.9	13%	71%	0.25%
5–84 in (H2)	Very fine sandy loam	8.5	15%	62%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Monue map unit (Sheppard-Monue complex, 1 to 8 percent slopes, survey area AZ714). 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 Monue soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Monue soils is moderately alkaline: pH 8.0 (most land between 7.6 and 8.2). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).

Sandy topsoil covers 73% of mapped Monue 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 fine sandy loam (37% of mapped Monue acres).

37% of mapped Monue acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.

For lawns and yards

70% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 18% of the acres in mapped Monue soils very limited, 32% somewhat limited and 49% 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 Monue soil is found

Mapped acres

Monue is mapped in Arizona and Utah.

Counties with the most mapped Monue soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Navajo County, AZ	213,892	3.7%
Coconino County, AZ	162,221	1.4%
Apache County, AZ	107,274	1.6%
San Juan County, UT	37,817	0.8%
Wayne County, UT	13,801	0.9%
Mohave County, AZ	9,266	0.1%
Garfield County, UT	4,329	0.2%
Kane County, UT	1,696	0.1%
Emery County, UT	216	0.0%
Grand County, UT	144	0.0%
Sevier County, UT	15	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Monue acres

Not limited 49%

Somewhat limited 32%

Very limited 18%

Not rated <1%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Monue acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	48.6%
Somewhat limited	32.4%
Very limited	18.1%
Not rated	0.9%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Monue 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 2–5% (median 3%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 0.3%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 12%

Somewhat excessively drained 24%

Well drained 63%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated <1%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Monue acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	12.2%
Somewhat excessively drained	24.3%
Well drained	62.6%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.9%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 70%

B: moderate infiltration 27%

C: slow infiltration 2%

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 <1%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Monue acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	70.3%
B: moderate infiltration	27.2%
C: slow infiltration	1.6%
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%
Not rated	0.9%

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 Monue (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 555,648 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Monue components. The profile comes from the single largest Monue component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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