Soil series profile
Sharpsburg soil series
Sharpsburg is a moderately well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 690,533 acres in 58 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 96% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.1–6.2
- Mapped area
- 691k acres in 58 counties, 4 states
Typical Sharpsburg profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 6.2 | 33% | 2% | 3.8% |
| 8–17 in (A) | Silty clay loam | 5.8 | 35% | 2% | 3% |
| 17–31 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.8 | 38% | 2% | 0.8% |
| 31–38 in (Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 6.1 | 34% | 2% | 0.4% |
| 38–46 in (BC) | Silty clay loam | 6.1 | 32% | 2% | 0.3% |
| 46–79 in (C) | Silty clay loam | 6.5 | 29% | 2% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Sharpsburg soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Sharpsburg soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.1 and 6.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Sharpsburg acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (77% of mapped Sharpsburg acres).
100% of mapped Sharpsburg acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Sharpsburg 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 Sharpsburg soil is found
Mapped acres
Sharpsburg is mapped in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Nodaway County, MO | 109,365 | 19.6% |
| Adair County, IA | 54,474 | 15.0% |
| Madison County, IA | 43,797 | 12.3% |
| Page County, IA | 38,872 | 11.4% |
| Union County, IA | 37,698 | 14.0% |
| Clay County, MO | 34,032 | 13.4% |
| Taylor County, IA | 29,976 | 8.8% |
| Clinton County, MO | 24,757 | 9.3% |
| Adams County, IA | 24,625 | 9.1% |
| Warren County, IA | 21,402 | 5.9% |
| Atchison County, KS | 19,834 | 7.2% |
| Jackson County, MO | 18,753 | 4.8% |
| Johnson County, KS | 18,750 | 6.2% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 18,696 | 6.3% |
| Cass County, IA | 16,418 | 4.6% |
| Platte County, MO | 15,286 | 5.7% |
| Ray County, MO | 14,354 | 3.9% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 14,282 | 3.8% |
| Marion County, IA | 14,136 | 4.1% |
| Carroll County, MO | 11,899 | 2.7% |
| Worth County, MO | 11,120 | 6.6% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 8,384 | 3.1% |
| Howard County, MO | 8,289 | 2.8% |
| Andrew County, MO | 8,114 | 2.9% |
| Cass County, MO | 7,847 | 1.8% |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 7,792 | 8.0% |
| Dallas County, IA | 7,515 | 2.0% |
| Pettis County, MO | 5,380 | 1.2% |
| Gentry County, MO | 5,177 | 1.7% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 4,211 | 1.2% |
| Polk County, IA | 3,990 | 1.1% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 3,513 | 1.3% |
| Johnson County, MO | 3,265 | 0.6% |
| Atchison County, MO | 2,830 | 0.8% |
| Clarke County, IA | 2,724 | 1.0% |
| Jefferson County, KS | 2,148 | 0.6% |
| Daviess County, MO | 2,007 | 0.6% |
| Shawnee County, KS | 1,968 | 0.6% |
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 1,813 | 0.3% |
| Douglas County, KS | 1,804 | 0.6% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 1,753 | 0.6% |
| Harrison County, MO | 1,740 | 0.4% |
| Chariton County, MO | 1,383 | 0.3% |
| Audubon County, IA | 1,052 | 0.4% |
| Livingston County, MO | 520 | 0.2% |
| Cooper County, MO | 486 | 0.1% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 472 | 0.2% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 441 | 0.1% |
| Grundy County, MO | 400 | 0.1% |
| Linn County, MO | 375 | 0.1% |
| Randolph County, MO | 178 | 0.1% |
| Brown County, KS | 139 | 0.0% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 116 | 0.0% |
| Cass County, NE | 97 | 0.0% |
| Saline County, MO | 57 | 0.0% |
| Miami County, KS | 21 | 0.0% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 5 | 0.0% |
| Otoe County, NE | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Sharpsburg acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Sharpsburg acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–7% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 100.0% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 96.3% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 3.7% |
| 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 Sharpsburg (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 690,533 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Sharpsburg components. The profile comes from the single largest Sharpsburg component. Full methodology.