Which soil series are found under Oklahoma homes?

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

In short: This index lists the 55 Oklahoma soil series that have their own page on this site, grouped by region of the state. Each page summarizes the USDA's Official Series Description for that soil and explains what its depth, drainage and clay content mean for foundations. To find the soil under a specific house, use the free Web Soil Survey map, then read the matching series page.

How does soil series information work?

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) publishes an Official Series Description (OSD) for every named soil series, searchable by name or list ¹. An OSD gives a soil's classification, parent material, typical layers, drainage, depth to rock and the area where it is mapped.

Web Soil Survey is NRCS's online map of soil data from the National Cooperative Soil Survey, and it covers more than 95 percent of U.S. counties ². It lets users define an area of interest, view soil maps and explore soil data and suitability for particular uses ². A soil map is a starting point; it does not replace a site investigation on a single lot.

How is shrink-swell read?

NRCS rates shrink-swell using linear extensibility percent (LEP), the change in length of a soil clod as it dries from a moist to a dry state ⁴. The classes are ³:

NRCS notes that when LEP is above 3 percent, shrinking and swelling can damage buildings and roads, and special design is commonly needed ³. Some OSDs give the same value as COLE, the coefficient of linear extensibility, which is LEP written as a fraction ⁴. For example, the Summit OSD lists a COLE of 0.09 or more, at the boundary of the very high class ⁸.

Clues in the soil name

• Vertic or Udertic: Vertisols and vertic soils shrink and form deep cracks when dry and swell when wet, and the University of Idaho notes this creates serious engineering problems ⁵.
• Smectitic: Soils with smectite clay minerals such as montmorillonite show the most profound swelling ⁶.
• Slickensides: Polished, grooved surfaces inside the soil that form as clay repeatedly swells and shrinks ⁵.

In Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Geological Survey notes that more than 75 percent of the state has bedrock that can produce expansive soils ⁷. Seasonal moisture change in expansive clays can reach from 3 to 40 feet deep ⁶. More background is on shrink-swell and the active zone and clay mineralogy.

Which soil series occur in each region?

Many series cross regional lines, so some appear under more than one region.

Tulsa Metro and Northeast

Apperson, Bates, Choteau, Clarksville, Collinsville, Coweta, Dennis, Eram, Muskogee, Niotaze, Nixa, Okemah, Osage, Parsons, Summit, Taloka, Verdigris, Wynona

East-Central (Arkoma)

Bates, Coweta, Dennis, Eram, Hector, Konawa, Muskogee, Okemah, Osage, Talihina, Wynona

Southeast and South-Central

Bernow, Chickasha, Durant, Hector, Kiomatia, Zaneis

OKC Metro

Bethany, Chickasha, Dale, Darnell, Dougherty, Kingfisher, Kirkland, Konawa, Lucien, Norge, Port, Pulaski, Renfrow, Stephenville, Teller, Vernon, Zaneis

North-Central (Red Prairies and Wheat Belt)

Dougherty, Grant, Kingfisher, Kirkland, Lucien, Norge, Pond Creek, Port, Renfrow, Tabler, Teller

Southwest (Lawton and Red Plains)

Abilene, Chickasha, Dale, Foard, Hollister, Port, St. Paul, Tillman, Vernon, Woodward

Northwest (Gypsum Hills)

Pratt, Quinlan, St. Paul, Tivoli, Vernon, Woodward

Panhandle (High Plains)

Dalhart, Richfield, Ulysses

Related

• Soil series in the Tulsa metro
• Soil series in the OKC metro
• Soil testing and lab values
• Oklahoma geologic provinces
• OK data: soil lab values