Soil Series Atlas

Cecil soil series

Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludults

050100150200cm1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft5 ft6 ftApTopsoil · plowed0–20 cm · 0–8 inBt1Subsoil · clay build-up20–66 cm · 8–26 inBt2Subsoil · clay build-up66–107 cm · 26–42 inBCSubsoil grading to parent material107–127 cm · 42–50 inCParent material127–203 cm · 50–80 in050100150200cmApTopsoil · plowed0–20 cm · 0–8 inBt1Subsoil · clay build-up20–66 cm · 8–26 inBt2Subsoil · clay build-up66–107 cm · 26–42 inBCSubsoil grading toparent material107–127 cm · 42–50 inCParent material127–203 cm · 50–80 in
Typical pedon, to scale: 203 cm (80 in), 5 horizons.

Ultisols — strongly weathered, leached soils with a clay-enriched subsoil

With 5.49 million acres mapped, Cecil is the 4th-largest of 24,791 U.S. soil series. No series covers more of Georgia: it accounts for 6.5% of the state’s mapped soil. Established in 1899, it is the oldest series in the atlas, tied with Windsor. Among the 1,278 mapped Ultisols it is the 3rd-largest. It is the state soil of North Carolina.

Depth
Very deep
Drainage
Well drained
Water movement
Moderately high

Compare with another seriesSimilar series in the finder

Where Cecil is mapped

5,485,416 acres in 115 soil survey areas, from current SSURGO data.

Alabama: 196,462 acresArizonaColoradoFloridaGeorgia: 2,156,755 acresIndianaKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaNew JerseyNorth Carolina: 864,662 acresNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansasCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaIowaKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippiMontanaNew HampshireNew YorkOhioOregonTennesseeUtahVirginia: 513,043 acresWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth Carolina: 1,754,494 acresIdahoNevadaVermontLouisianaRhode Island

Share of all Cecil acres

  1. Georgia39%
  2. South Carolina32%
  3. North Carolina16%
  4. Virginia9%
  5. Alabama4%

In the field

Drainage

Well drained

Drains fastStays wet

Soil depth

Very deep

ShallowDeep

Water movement (Ksat)

Moderately high

SlowFast

Of the 23 atlas series that have moderately high Ksat, this is the largest.

Parent material
Residuum, igneous/metamorphic rock
Landform
Ridges/interfluves, hills
Type location
North Carolina

How it is classified

  1. OrderUltisols
  2. SuborderUdults
  3. Great groupKanhapludults
  4. SubgroupTypic Kanhapludults
  5. FamilyFine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludultsfine particle-size classkaolinitic mineralogy classthermic soil temperature regime

Against other Ultisols

Cecil makes up 2.90% of all mapped Ultisols — the 3rd largest of 1,278 series in the order.

Solum thickness (topsoil + subsoil)

127 cm under a median of 142 cm

Depth described

203 cm over a median of 178 cm

Its relatives

13 other established series share the family “Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludults”

  1. Cecil5.5 M
  2. Pacolet3.1 M
  3. Madison2.5 M
  4. Appling1.6 M
  5. Georgeville1.4 M
  6. Wedowee736 k
  7. Nankin713 k
  8. Herndon543 k
  9. Tarrus321 k

Close relatives, at one scale

  1. Cecil203 cm · Typic Kanhapludults
  2. Madison168 cm · Typic Kanhapludults
  3. Pacolet203 cm · Typic Kanhapludults

Horizon by horizon

HorizonLayerDepthThickness
ApTopsoil: plowed0–20 cm0–8 in20 cm
Bt1Subsoil: clay build-up20–66 cm8–26 in46 cm
Bt2Subsoil: clay build-up66–107 cm26–42 in41 cm
BCSubsoil grading to parent material107–127 cm42–50 in20 cm
CParent material127–203 cm50–80 in76 cm

Sources: USDA–NRCS Official Series Description (revised 2025-11), Soil Classification database and SSURGO. Ranks computed by Soil Series Atlas. Method · Guides