Soil series profile

Shelocta soil series

Shelocta is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 2,312,842 acres in 120 counties across 7 states. Hydrologic group B.

#25 by mapped area fine-loamy Typic Hapludults (Ultisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 6.4
Mapped area: 2.3M

Typical Shelocta 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 Shelocta horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–1 in (Oi)	Slightly decomposed plant material	5.6	Not reported	Not reported	69%
1–3 in (A)	Silt loam	6.4	14%	29%	5.03%
3–7 in (BA)	Loam	5.7	23%	29%	3.44%
7–23 in (Bt1)	Channery silt loam	5.2	22%	26%	1.28%
23–34 in (2Bt2)	Channery silt loam	5.1	22%	20%	0.5%
34–45 in (2Bt3)	Very channery silt loam	5.1	23%	21%	0.5%
45–59 in (2C)	Very parachannery silt loam	5.2	21%	20%	0.15%
59–69 in (2Cr)	Bedrock	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Representative values from the most extensive Shelocta map unit (Shelocta-Latham complex, 30 to 60 percent slopes, stony, survey area KY627). 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 Shelocta soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Shelocta soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.4 (most land between 5.0 and 6.4), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 96% of mapped Shelocta acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (87% of mapped Shelocta acres).

>99% of mapped Shelocta 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 95% of the acres in mapped Shelocta soils very limited, 1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (3% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).

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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Shelocta soil is found

Mapped acres

Shelocta is mapped in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Georgia. The 60 counties with the most Shelocta acres:

Counties with the most mapped Shelocta soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Scioto County, OH	112,010	28.7%
Clay County, KY	81,798	27.2%
Whitley County, KY	80,490	28.7%
Knox County, KY	78,342	31.7%
Breathitt County, KY	77,989	24.7%
McCreary County, KY	76,720	28.1%
Jackson County, KY	71,470	32.3%
Morgan County, KY	71,438	29.3%
Leslie County, KY	68,862	26.8%
Buchanan County, VA	64,620	22.7%
Laurel County, KY	61,220	22.0%
Hocking County, OH	60,240	22.3%
Carter County, KY	59,098	22.5%
Pike County, OH	54,288	19.2%
Lawrence County, KY	52,430	19.8%
Magoffin County, KY	49,879	25.2%
Adams County, OH	49,262	13.2%
Bell County, KY	48,490	21.1%
Perry County, KY	47,278	21.7%
Rockcastle County, KY	42,418	20.9%
Owsley County, KY	42,243	33.5%
Lee County, KY	42,111	31.5%
Harlan County, KY	41,553	13.9%
Elliott County, KY	41,511	27.7%
Wolfe County, KY	40,421	28.4%
Greenup County, KY	39,578	17.9%
Knott County, KY	35,315	15.7%
Johnson County, KY	34,117	20.4%
Letcher County, KY	32,854	15.2%
Lawrence County, OH	32,720	11.3%
Floyd County, KY	32,190	12.8%
Wise County, VA	30,878	15.1%
Ross County, OH	30,396	6.9%
Dickenson County, VA	28,516	15.1%
Butler County, KY	28,454	10.4%
Pike County, KY	27,469	5.5%
Pulaski County, KY	25,921	6.1%
Lewis County, KY	20,421	6.6%
Cumberland County, TN	19,900	4.6%
Vinton County, OH	19,003	7.2%
Westmoreland County, PA	17,535	2.7%
Jackson County, OH	16,937	6.3%
Martin County, KY	16,042	10.9%
Taylor County, KY	15,395	8.9%
Boyd County, KY	15,088	14.7%
Estill County, KY	15,033	9.3%
Scott County, TN	14,948	4.4%
Bath County, VA	12,799	4.4%
Boone County, WV	12,731	5.0%
Menifee County, KY	12,672	9.8%
Highland County, VA	12,211	5.3%
Edmonson County, KY	12,198	6.3%
Alleghany County, VA	10,089	4.2%
Russell County, VA	9,744	3.6%
Wayne County, KY	9,464	3.3%
Morgan County, TN	9,448	2.8%
Rowan County, KY	9,232	5.1%
Johnson County, TN	8,971	4.7%
Grayson County, KY	8,971	2.8%
Overton County, TN	8,460	3.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Shelocta acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 1%

Very limited 95%

Not rated 3%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Shelocta acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	1.2%
Very limited	95.4%
Not rated	3.4%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Shelocta acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 3.8 feet (45 in) (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 25–55% (median 45%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 3%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained >99%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated <1%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Shelocta acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	99.7%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.3%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) <1%

B: moderate infiltration 97%

C: slow infiltration 0%

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 3%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Shelocta acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.1%
B: moderate infiltration	96.5%
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	3.4%

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 Shelocta (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 2,312,842 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Shelocta components. The profile comes from the single largest Shelocta component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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