Soil series profile
Rubicon soil series
Rubicon is a excessively drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 1,245,976 acres in 52 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.8 very strongly acidic · range 4.8–5.3
- Mapped area
- 1.2M acres in 52 counties, 2 states
Typical Rubicon profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 in (A) | Sand | 4.8 | 2% | 96% | 1.25% |
| 1–6 in (E) | Sand | 4.8 | 2% | 96% | 0.25% |
| 6–18 in (Bs) | Sand | 5.8 | 2% | 96% | 0.25% |
| 18–36 in (BC) | Sand | 5.8 | 2% | 96% | 0.25% |
| 36–60 in (C) | Sand | 6.3 | 2% | 96% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Rubicon soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Rubicon soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.8 (most land between 4.8 and 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 >99% of mapped Rubicon 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 sand (98% of mapped Rubicon acres).
>99% of mapped Rubicon acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
>99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Rubicon soils very limited, 0% 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 Rubicon soil is found
Mapped acres
Rubicon is mapped in Michigan and Wisconsin.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Vilas County, WI | 100,157 | 18.1% |
| Douglas County, WI | 94,879 | 11.3% |
| Missaukee County, MI | 90,419 | 25.0% |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 83,294 | 28.0% |
| Bayfield County, WI | 80,468 | 8.3% |
| Schoolcraft County, MI | 76,109 | 10.1% |
| Marquette County, MI | 74,817 | 5.9% |
| Cheboygan County, MI | 63,562 | 13.9% |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 63,001 | 17.6% |
| Chippewa County, MI | 54,251 | 5.4% |
| Luce County, MI | 52,434 | 9.1% |
| Otsego County, MI | 47,359 | 14.4% |
| Delta County, MI | 43,921 | 5.9% |
| Crawford County, MI | 33,175 | 9.3% |
| Alger County, MI | 30,469 | 5.2% |
| Presque Isle County, MI | 24,756 | 5.9% |
| Montmorency County, MI | 23,334 | 6.7% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 22,239 | 6.2% |
| Lake County, MI | 21,316 | 5.9% |
| Wexford County, MI | 17,854 | 4.9% |
| Clare County, MI | 15,705 | 4.3% |
| Arenac County, MI | 14,748 | 6.3% |
| Mackinac County, MI | 14,313 | 2.2% |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 12,435 | 4.6% |
| Emmet County, MI | 9,688 | 3.2% |
| Iosco County, MI | 9,621 | 2.8% |
| Dickinson County, MI | 9,570 | 1.7% |
| Baraga County, MI | 9,376 | 1.6% |
| Menominee County, MI | 8,891 | 1.4% |
| Roscommon County, MI | 8,576 | 2.6% |
| Gladwin County, MI | 8,521 | 2.6% |
| Osceola County, MI | 4,829 | 1.3% |
| Houghton County, MI | 4,329 | 0.7% |
| Shawano County, WI | 3,788 | 0.7% |
| Alpena County, MI | 3,327 | 0.9% |
| Iron County, WI | 1,957 | 0.4% |
| Oscoda County, MI | 1,896 | 0.5% |
| Keweenaw County, MI | 1,378 | 0.4% |
| Ashland County, WI | 1,072 | 0.2% |
| Iron County, MI | 815 | 0.1% |
| Sawyer County, WI | 793 | 0.1% |
| Muskegon County, MI | 688 | 0.2% |
| Antrim County, MI | 517 | 0.2% |
| Ontonagon County, MI | 443 | 0.1% |
| Forest County, WI | 421 | 0.1% |
| Alcona County, MI | 202 | 0.0% |
| Price County, WI | 156 | 0.0% |
| Washburn County, WI | 92 | 0.0% |
| Rusk County, WI | 10 | 0.0% |
| Menominee County, WI | 4 | 0.0% |
| Midland County, MI | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bay County, MI | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Rubicon acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.4% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Rubicon acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 9.2 feet (110 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–21% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 98.8% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.6% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 99.4% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
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 Rubicon (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,245,976 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Rubicon components. The profile comes from the single largest Rubicon component. Full methodology.