STATSGO Soils

Soil types vary largely throughout the Basin. In the northern glaciated areas, the deep soils on the sloping uplands are developed in glacial till and can range from well to poorly drained. The stream valleys contain deposits of glacial valley fill and are predominantly deep and well drained where materials are coarser versus poorly drained where deposits are finer. In the unglaciated part of the Appalachian Plateau, soils formed in materials weathered from sandstone and shale are deep with varying drainage.

Throughout the Appalachian Mountains, soils of the ridges are moderately deep, well drained, and very stony whereas soils of the shale valleys have varying thickness, are well drained, and feature moderate to steep slopes. Soils of the limestone valleys are predominantly deep, well drained, and productive. Soils in the southeast portion of the Basin are formed in parent materials weathered from a wide variety of rocks. The ridge soils are mostly deep, well drained, and very stony. Soils formed over shales and other softer rocks are generally deep, very fertile, and have varying drainage.