Soil series profile
Seaton soil series
Seaton is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 685,043 acres in 48 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.0–6.5
- Mapped area
- 685k acres in 48 counties, 4 states
Typical Seaton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.2 | 17% | 6% | 2% |
| 9–15 in (BE) | Silt loam | 5.7 | 17% | 6% | 0.75% |
| 15–21 in (Bt1) | Silt loam | 5.7 | 22% | 6% | 0.25% |
| 21–27 in (Bt2) | Silt loam | 5.7 | 25% | 6% | 0.25% |
| 27–34 in (Bt3) | Silt loam | 5.7 | 25% | 6% | 0.25% |
| 34–44 in (Bt4) | Silt loam | 5.7 | 24% | 7% | 0.25% |
| 44–70 in (BC) | Silt loam | 6.0 | 21% | 11% | 0.25% |
| 70–79 in (C) | Silt loam | 6.5 | 18% | 12% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Seaton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Seaton soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.0 and 6.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Seaton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (>99% of mapped Seaton acres).
100% of mapped Seaton 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 48% of the acres in mapped Seaton soils very limited, 52% 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.
Where Seaton soil is found
Mapped acres
Seaton is mapped in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Vernon County, WI | 72,474 | 14.3% |
| Crawford County, WI | 70,277 | 19.6% |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 66,555 | 14.2% |
| Buffalo County, WI | 59,211 | 13.6% |
| Jackson County, WI | 46,066 | 7.3% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 34,857 | 8.4% |
| Pierce County, WI | 34,643 | 9.4% |
| Henderson County, IL | 30,834 | 13.4% |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 29,121 | 7.1% |
| La Crosse County, WI | 21,269 | 7.4% |
| Sauk County, WI | 17,527 | 3.3% |
| Grant County, WI | 16,703 | 2.3% |
| Jo Daviess County, IL | 16,099 | 4.3% |
| Carroll County, IL | 15,532 | 5.6% |
| Dane County, WI | 14,334 | 1.9% |
| Mercer County, IL | 14,273 | 4.1% |
| Dunn County, WI | 13,598 | 2.5% |
| Henry County, IL | 13,496 | 2.6% |
| Pepin County, WI | 11,684 | 7.9% |
| Fulton County, IL | 10,231 | 1.9% |
| Rock Island County, IL | 8,575 | 3.3% |
| Brown County, IL | 8,262 | 4.4% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 6,283 | 2.3% |
| Columbia County, WI | 5,507 | 1.1% |
| Houston County, MN | 5,002 | 1.4% |
| Cass County, IL | 4,937 | 2.1% |
| Richland County, WI | 4,826 | 1.3% |
| Monroe County, WI | 4,479 | 0.8% |
| Chippewa County, WI | 3,558 | 0.6% |
| Hancock County, IL | 3,526 | 0.7% |
| Delaware County, IA | 3,428 | 0.9% |
| Bremer County, IA | 3,065 | 1.1% |
| Winona County, MN | 2,936 | 0.7% |
| Linn County, IA | 2,503 | 0.5% |
| Goodhue County, MN | 1,504 | 0.3% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 1,480 | 0.4% |
| Juneau County, WI | 1,120 | 0.2% |
| Buchanan County, IA | 974 | 0.3% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 956 | 0.2% |
| Warren County, IL | 926 | 0.3% |
| Wabasha County, MN | 795 | 0.2% |
| Iowa County, IA | 561 | 0.2% |
| Iowa County, WI | 544 | 0.1% |
| Clark County, WI | 254 | 0.0% |
| Clinton County, IA | 125 | 0.0% |
| Cedar County, IA | 48 | 0.0% |
| Cumberland County, IL | 47 | 0.0% |
| Pike County, IL | 37 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Seaton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 52.0% |
| Very limited | 48.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Seaton 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 4–25% (median 14%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
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 | 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 Seaton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 685,043 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Seaton components. The profile comes from the single largest Seaton component. Full methodology.