Soil series profile
Shambo soil series
Shambo is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 762,100 acres in 55 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 6.3–7.2
- Mapped area
- 762k acres in 55 counties, 3 states
Typical Shambo profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–31 in (H1) | Loam | 7.0 | 19% | 43% | 4% |
| 31–60 in (H2) | Stratified loamy fine sand to loam | 7.9 | 19% | 50% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Shambo soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Shambo soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 6.3 and 7.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Shambo acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (>99% of mapped Shambo acres).
100% of mapped Shambo 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 24% of the acres in mapped Shambo soils very limited, 76% 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 Shambo soil is found
Mapped acres
Shambo is mapped in North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Richland County, MT | 63,949 | 4.7% |
| Grant County, ND | 60,185 | 5.7% |
| Perkins County, SD | 54,494 | 3.0% |
| McCone County, MT | 47,387 | 2.8% |
| Corson County, SD | 46,889 | 3.0% |
| Morton County, ND | 43,441 | 3.5% |
| Stark County, ND | 39,544 | 4.6% |
| Adams County, ND | 37,760 | 6.0% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 36,919 | 0.8% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 36,919 | 0.8% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 32,257 | 4.5% |
| Dunn County, ND | 30,398 | 2.4% |
| Mountrail County, ND | 20,033 | 1.7% |
| Bowman County, ND | 18,807 | 2.5% |
| Fergus County, MT | 17,821 | 0.7% |
| Custer County, MT | 15,350 | 0.6% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 15,335 | 0.9% |
| Slope County, ND | 13,194 | 1.7% |
| Harding County, SD | 12,594 | 0.7% |
| Emmons County, ND | 10,008 | 1.0% |
| Williams County, ND | 9,986 | 0.8% |
| Sioux County, ND | 9,983 | 1.4% |
| Musselshell County, MT | 9,465 | 0.8% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 7,959 | 0.3% |
| Pondera County, MT | 7,562 | 0.7% |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 7,458 | 0.6% |
| Teton County, MT | 6,971 | 0.5% |
| Mercer County, ND | 5,910 | 0.9% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 5,294 | 0.8% |
| Oliver County, ND | 4,455 | 1.0% |
| Wheatland County, MT | 3,985 | 0.5% |
| Billings County, ND | 3,916 | 0.5% |
| Toole County, MT | 3,554 | 0.3% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 3,051 | 0.2% |
| Meagher County, MT | 2,838 | 0.1% |
| Dawson County, MT | 2,814 | 0.2% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 2,362 | 0.2% |
| Fallon County, MT | 2,210 | 0.2% |
| Logan County, ND | 1,588 | 0.3% |
| Carter County, MT | 1,363 | 0.1% |
| Dewey County, SD | 1,241 | 0.1% |
| Park County, MT | 1,183 | 0.1% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 941 | 0.2% |
| Prairie County, MT | 938 | 0.1% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 647 | 0.1% |
| McLean County, ND | 610 | 0.0% |
| Stillwater County, MT | 259 | 0.0% |
| Cascade County, MT | 150 | 0.0% |
| Glacier County, MT | 40 | 0.0% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 31 | 0.0% |
| Campbell County, SD | 22 | 0.0% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 15 | 0.0% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 7 | 0.0% |
| Wells County, ND | 7 | 0.0% |
| Kidder County, ND | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Shambo acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 75.8% |
| Very limited | 24.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Shambo acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.3 feet (51 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 4% of acres (0% occasional, 4% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–12% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4%.
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 | 99.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.2% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Shambo (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 762,100 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Shambo components. The profile comes from the single largest Shambo component. Full methodology.