How to use NRCS Soil Map Application
Go to the United States Department of Agriculture website, National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), for
Soils. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/
1. Click on the green button that says “Start WSS” and load the next page.
2. Under Quick Navigation on the left, click “Address” and enter in your home address to view.
3.
4. Once it loads the satellite picture of your address, click one of the boxes at the top of the viewer that says “AOI”
with a red shape. This is your Area of Interest. Click and drag a shape around the area you want information on
(your house).
5. Go back to the top and click the tab “Soil Map” once it reloads your area of interest (marked with a blue lined
overlay). This will load information about the soil on the map.
6. Take a screenshot of the map indicators and the information it gives you on the left. Paste this into your Word
document.
7. Click on each of the soil types present, and record the data given with more screenshots.
8. Draw, label, and color a sample column for ONE type of soil indicated. Convert the “Typical Profile”
to 2x millimeters (in this example, the top layer “Ap” is 0-7 inches, silt loam; this becomes
0-14mm in your diagram).
To find the color, take the name of the soil and search it (in Google or another engine). Choose the
USDA site to get your information from. Alternatively, you may use this website:
https://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/gmap/
9. Look up information on the soil type. Write that information on your document with the soil sample drawing.
Include information like:
a. How well does it drain?
b. What are some “major uses” of the soil?
c. What is it made from? (type of rock, alluvial or not, etc.)
d. What kinds of plants or trees commonly grow here naturally?
e. Is it acidic, neutral, or basic?
f. What is the climate in the area?
g. Is there any other interesting information about it? (history, fire susceptibility, whatever)
10. Now, choose another location (other than in Madison County) somewhere in the United States,
and repeat this process. Explain why you chose that location, as well.
11. In the middle of the paper, write the characteristics of the horizons in general, and how they are
similar or different to each other.