Scotts Bluff National Monument - Soils

Scotts Bluff National Monument by National Parks Service

According to the Soil Survey for Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, there are three principle soil associations found at Scotts Bluff National Monument. The first one is the Tassel-Anselmo-Rock outcrop association, which consists of steep, rocky soils with sandy soils and outcrops of rock on uplands. The second is the Mitchell-Keith-Epping association, which is generally very gently sloping to sloping and steep in places with loamy and sandy soils on uplands. The third is the Mitchell-Otero-Buffington association, which is predominantly level with occasional slight slopes with deep soils of silty, sandy, and clayey texture on valley floors.

The Mitchell-Otero-Buffington association in the area is cut by a network of irrigation canals, laterals, and drainage ditches with nearly all of the farmland in this association is irrigated and used for crops (USDA-Soil Conservation Service, 1968). A more detailed soil survey was completed in 1992 especially for the Monument and should be referenced for more specific information about this area.