Soil series profile
Tarrus soil series
Tarrus is a well drained soil with a gravelly silty clay loam surface, mapped on 321,448 acres in 33 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 91% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 4.9–5.5
- Mapped area
- 321k acres in 33 counties, 3 states
Typical Tarrus profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Gravelly silty clay loam | 5.5 | 34% | 7% | 1.25% |
| 6–45 in (Bt) | Silty clay | 5.0 | 45% | 5% | 0.25% |
| 45–80 in (Cr) | Weathered bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Tarrus soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Tarrus soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 4.9 and 5.5). 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.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Tarrus acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (49% of mapped Tarrus acres).
100% of mapped Tarrus 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 26% of the acres in mapped Tarrus soils very limited, 74% 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 Tarrus soil is found
Mapped acres
Tarrus is mapped in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NC | 69,481 | 19.3% |
| Randolph County, NC | 65,499 | 13.8% |
| Stanly County, NC | 33,692 | 15.3% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 33,633 | 11.4% |
| Orange County, NC | 25,618 | 10.3% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 16,308 | 4.6% |
| Halifax County, VA | 11,335 | 2.4% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 8,816 | 4.3% |
| Person County, NC | 7,364 | 3.1% |
| Chatham County, NC | 5,966 | 1.6% |
| Granville County, NC | 5,868 | 1.8% |
| Anson County, NC | 5,550 | 1.8% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 4,850 | 1.8% |
| Lee County, NC | 4,795 | 3.3% |
| McCormick County, SC | 4,587 | 2.0% |
| Moore County, NC | 4,143 | 1.0% |
| Lexington County, SC | 2,865 | 0.6% |
| Davidson County, NC | 2,272 | 0.7% |
| Saluda County, SC | 2,262 | 0.8% |
| Durham County, NC | 1,576 | 0.9% |
| Rowan County, NC | 1,486 | 0.5% |
| Richmond County, NC | 709 | 0.3% |
| Richland County, SC | 612 | 0.1% |
| Nash County, NC | 494 | 0.2% |
| Vance County, NC | 383 | 0.2% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 368 | 0.2% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 365 | 0.1% |
| Warren County, NC | 272 | 0.1% |
| Franklin County, NC | 145 | 0.0% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 82 | 0.0% |
| Polk County, NC | 31 | 0.0% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 18 | 0.0% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 3 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Tarrus acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 74.0% |
| Very limited | 26.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Tarrus 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 5–20% (median 8%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 91.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 8.8% |
| 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 Tarrus (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 321,448 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Tarrus components. The profile comes from the single largest Tarrus component. Full methodology.