HomeSoil seriesShelocta
Shelocta soil series
Shelocta soils cover 2,330,133 mapped acres, mostly in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. 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 4%.
It is the leading soil series by area in 33 of the counties and cities on this site, including Knox County, KY; Owsley County, KY; Jackson County, KY.
SSURGO survey versions to August 5, 2026 · series description revised 2001-04
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 Shelocta series consists of deep and very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in mixed colluvium from shale, siltstone, and sandstone or colluvium and residuum. They are on steep concave mountain sides, foot slopes, and benches. Slopes range from 2 to 90 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 48 inches, and the average annual temperature is about 54 degrees F.
Source: USDA NRCS series description (OSD) for Shelocta, revised 2001-04. Read it.
Engineering properties
| Mapped area (SSURGO) | 2,330,133 acres |
| Shrink-swell limits houses without basements | 0.0% |
| Shallow water table limits basements | 4.4% |
| Very limited for septic absorption fields | 95.3% |
| Most common drainage class | Well drained |
| Most common hydrologic soil group | B |
| Taxonomic class | Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludults |
| Type location | McCreary County, Kentucky |
Where Shelocta is mapped
| State | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | 1,606,289 |
| Ohio | 385,503 |
| Virginia | 199,767 |
| Tennessee | 83,770 |
| Pennsylvania | 39,132 |
| West Virginia | 15,407 |
| Georgia | 264 |
Places where Shelocta leads
Counties and cities where Shelocta covers more mapped land than any other series.
| Place | Share of mapped land |
|---|---|
| Rarden, OH | 67% |
| Otway, OH | 45% |
| Knox County, KY | 36% |
| Owsley County, KY | 33% |
| Jackson County, KY | 32% |
| Lee County, KY | 31% |
| Whitley County, KY | 31% |
| Morgan County, KY | 29% |
| Scioto County, OH | 28% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 28% |
| McCreary County, KY | 28% |
| Elliott County, KY | 28% |
| Clay County, KY | 27% |
| Leslie County, KY | 27% |
| Magoffin County, KY | 25% |
| Breathitt County, KY | 25% |
| Buchanan County, VA | 23% |
| Hocking County, OH | 22% |
| Perry County, KY | 22% |
| Laurel County, KY | 22% |
| Hanging Rock, OH | 21% |
| Bell County, KY | 21% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 21% |
| Johnson County, KY | 20% |
| Lawrence County, KY | 20% |
| Pike County, OH | 19% |
| Portsmouth, OH | 17% |
| Knott County, KY | 16% |
| Letcher County, KY | 15% |
| Dickenson County, VA | 15% |
| Adams County, OH | 13% |
| Floyd County, KY | 13% |
| Martin County, KY | 11% |
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.