HomeSoil seriesMemphis
Memphis soil series
Memphis soils cover 1,824,306 mapped acres, mostly in Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri. USDA rates shrink-swell a limit for houses without basements on 0% of that land, and a shallow water table a limit for basements on 0%.
It is the leading soil series by area in 13 of the counties and cities on this site, including Adams County, MS; Tipton County, TN; Claiborne County, MS.
SSURGO survey versions to August 5, 2026 · series description revised 2021-10
of its land: shrink-swell limits houses without basements
of its land: a shallow water table limits basements
median highest linear extensibility (6% and up is high)
median highest clay content in the top 150 cm
USDA's description
The Memphis series consists of very deep, moderately permeable, well drained soils that formed in loess deposits more than 48 inches (121.92 cm) in thickness. These soils are on terraces and uplands of the Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent.
Source: USDA NRCS series description (OSD) for Memphis, revised 2021-10. Read it.
Engineering properties
| Mapped area (SSURGO) | 1,824,306 acres |
| Shrink-swell limits houses without basements | 0.0% |
| Shallow water table limits basements | 0.0% |
| Very limited for septic absorption fields | 48.3% |
| Most common drainage class | Well drained |
| Most common hydrologic soil group | B |
| Taxonomic class | Fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Hapludalfs |
| Type location | Warren County, Mississippi |
Where Memphis is mapped
| State | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | 1,129,164 |
| Tennessee | 418,307 |
| Missouri | 85,730 |
| Arkansas | 84,432 |
| Louisiana | 83,581 |
| Kentucky | 23,091 |
Places where Memphis leads
Counties and cities where Memphis covers more mapped land than any other series.
| Place | Share of mapped land |
|---|---|
| Adams County, MS | 44% |
| Tipton County, TN | 35% |
| Claiborne County, MS | 33% |
| Jefferson County, MS | 32% |
| Lauderdale County, TN | 26% |
| Obion County, TN | 26% |
| Holmes County, MS | 25% |
| Warren County, MS | 24% |
| Hinds County, MS | 23% |
| Carroll County, MS | 20% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 20% |
| Shelby County, TN | 19% |
| Scott County, MO | 17% |
Other places where Memphis is a main soil
Counties and cities where Memphis is among the six soil series covering the most mapped land, but not the first. Share of the place's mapped land.
Counties
Sources
Shares and properties: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access, weighted by each component's share of its map units. Description: the USDA NRCS series description. How we count.