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What soil types are in the Tulsa metro and how do they behave?

Reviewed by Preston, Oklahoma foundation repair consultant · Updated 2026-10-14

In short: Tulsa-area soils mostly formed from Pennsylvanian-age shale and sandstone. Shale-derived soils are clayey, often hold perched water in winter and spring, and can shrink and swell, while sandstone-derived soils on the hills are loamy and shallow to rock. The mapped soil series is a starting point, and the actual soil under a house has to be confirmed on site.

How are the official soil descriptions read?

Each soil series has a USDA Official Series Description (OSD) listing its layers, clay content, drainage and parent material (what it weathered from). Terms used below:

What are the major Tulsa metro soil series?

Series Clay Drainage and water Depth to rock Parent material
Dennis 28–50% in subsoil Somewhat poorly drained; perched water 12–30 in., Dec–Apr Solum more than 60 in. Pennsylvanian shale 1
Okemah Clay loam to clay subsoil Somewhat poorly drained; perched water 2–3 ft, Dec–Apr Not stated Alluvium or colluvium from Pennsylvanian shale 2
Parsons 35–60% below about 12 in. Somewhat poorly drained; perched water 6–18 in., Dec–Apr Not stated Old alluvium or Pennsylvanian shale 3
Summit 40–70% in subsoil Moderately well to somewhat poorly drained; perched water 12–36 in., Nov–May More than 60 in. Pennsylvanian shale 4
Osage 40–65% in subsoil Poorly drained; water table 6–18 in., Nov–May; flood plains Not stated Thick clayey alluvium 5
Eram 35–55% Moderately well drained; water table 1–2 ft in winter and spring Soft rock at 20–40 in. Shale with thin sandstone 6
Bates 5–35% Well drained Soft rock at 20–40 in. Pennsylvanian sandstone 7
Collinsville 5–20% Well to somewhat excessively drained Hard sandstone at about 4–20 in. Pennsylvanian sandstone 8
Coweta 10–30% Well to somewhat excessively drained Soft sandstone at about 15 in. (solum 10–20 in.) Sandstone interbedded with Pennsylvanian shale 9
Wynona 27–35% Somewhat poorly drained; perched water about 2 ft, Nov–Apr; occasional flooding More than 72 in. Silty alluvium on flood plains 10
Verdigris about 15–33% Well drained; subject to flooding Not stated Silty alluvium on flood plains 11
Niotaze more than 40% average; 35–55% in clay subsoil Somewhat poorly drained, slow permeability Shale at 20–40 in. Interbedded Pennsylvanian shale and sandstone, sandstone colluvium on top 12
Taloka 35–60% in subsoil Somewhat poorly drained; perched water 12–24 in., Nov–May Not stated Colluvium or alluvium from Pennsylvanian shale and sandstone 13
Choteau 35–45% in subsoil Somewhat poorly drained; perched water from 2.5–3 ft, Dec–Apr Solum more than 60 in. Alluvium or colluvium over Pennsylvanian shale 14
Muskogee silty over clayey Moderately well drained, slow permeability Solum more than 60 in. Silty material over clayey sediments on stream terraces 15
Apperson 35–60% Somewhat poorly drained; perched water from 1.5–2 ft, Dec–Apr Hard limestone at 40–60 in. Pennsylvanian limestone 16

How do clay soils formed from shale behave?

Dennis has its type location just north of Claremore in Rogers County 1. Okemah's subsoil is very firm when moist and has a few slickensides 2. Parsons has an abrupt change at about 12 inches, where a loamy surface layer sits on a clayey subsoil 3. That sharp contrast is one reason water perches above it.

Summit, with a type location about 6 miles east of Tulsa, is smectitic and develops deep, wide cracks, usually in summer 4. Osage, a flood-plain clay, is also smectitic and has intersecting slickensides from about 13 to 60 inches deep 5. These are the series most associated with cracks that open and close seasonally.

Eram reaches soft shale at 20–40 inches, so the clay layer is thinner, but it is still 35–55% clay 6.

Three more upland clays are common in the area:

How do sandstone soils on the hills behave?

Bates, Collinsville and Coweta formed from Pennsylvanian sandstone 789. Coweta, with a type location in Wagoner County, has only 10 to 20 inches of soil over soft sandstone 9. Collinsville's typical profile near Inola hits hard sandstone at about 9 inches, and the series range is about 4 to 20 inches 8. Where rock is this shallow, there is less soil available to shrink or swell, but cut-and-fill grading on these slopes can place houses partly on rock and partly on fill; see fill soils and lot history.

Which soils are on Tulsa-area flood plains?

Wynona, Verdigris and Osage formed in alluvium (sediment laid down by streams) on flood plains 51011. Wynona, with a type location south of Skiatook in Osage County, is somewhat poorly drained, has perched water about 2 feet down from November through April and is occasionally flooded for very brief periods from January through July 10. Verdigris is a well-drained silty soil that is subject to flooding 11. Muskogee sits higher, on stream terraces, with silty layers over clayey sediments 15.

How does perched water affect foundations?

Dennis, Okemah, Parsons, Summit, Taloka, Choteau, Wynona and Apperson all list a seasonal perched water table in late fall through spring 123410131416. That timing lines up with wet crawl spaces and water at basement cove joints described on the groundwater and perched water page.

Soil maps show the dominant soil in an area; map units include patches of other soils and city lots are often regraded. On-site samples or borings confirm what is under a specific house.

Free, plain-English answers. It asks a few questions and walks you to the repair that fits.

Common questions

What kind of soil is in Tulsa?

Most upland soils around Tulsa formed from Pennsylvanian-age shale and sandstone. Shale-derived soils such as Dennis, Okemah, Parsons and Summit are clayey, while sandstone-derived soils such as Bates and Collinsville are loamy and shallow to rock.

Why do Tulsa yards and crawl spaces stay wet in spring?

Several common Tulsa-area soils have a perched water table, a temporary layer of saturated soil sitting on denser clay, from late fall or winter into spring. Parsons, for example, can have perched water 6 to 18 inches down from December through April.

Which Tulsa soils shrink and swell the most?

Summit and Osage are smectitic clays, a clay type prone to swelling. Summit's description notes deep, wide cracks that usually form in summer, and Osage has intersecting slickensides from repeated swelling and shrinking.

Which Tulsa-area soils flood?

Flood-plain soils such as Wynona, Verdigris and Osage formed in stream sediment. Wynona's official description lists occasional very brief flooding from January through July and perched water about 2 feet down from November through April.

Is bedrock shallow in Tulsa?

On sandstone hills it often is. Collinsville reaches hard sandstone within about 4 to 20 inches and Bates within 20 to 40 inches, while shale-derived soils such as Dennis and Summit are more than 60 inches deep.

Sources

  1. Official Series Description - DENNIS Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  2. Official Series Description - OKEMAH Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  3. Official Series Description - PARSONS Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  4. Official Series Description - SUMMIT Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  5. Official Series Description - OSAGE Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  6. Official Series Description - ERAM Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  7. Official Series Description - BATES Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  8. Official Series Description - COLLINSVILLE Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  9. Official Series Description - COWETA Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  10. Official Series Description - WYNONA Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  11. Official Series Description - VERDIGRIS Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  12. Official Series Description - NIOTAZE Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  13. Official Series Description - TALOKA Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  14. Official Series Description - CHOTEAU Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  15. Official Series Description - MUSKOGEE Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  16. Official Series Description - APPERSON Series USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

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