The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
University Libraries
Soil Surveys
Agriculture & Natural Resources Librarian

2407 River Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37996
County & State Soil Surveys
**For assistance using the Web Soil Survey, read the USDA's Getting Started with Web Soil Survey instructions or contact Pendergrass Library.**
For the print collection of State Soil surveys at Pendregrass Libary, they are cataloged and shelved in three main classes that depend on the year the survey was published. These classes are:
- Report year
- No.-year
- County-State
Use this chart to see how different soil survey years are shelved in Pendergrass Library and cataloged in One Search:
Years |
Call Number |
Shelved by |
Title Search |
System Number |
Notes |
1800-1922 |
S591.A2 |
Report-year |
Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils |
470238 |
|
1923-1937 |
S591.A22 |
No.-year |
Soil Survey Washington D.C. |
1617335 |
|
1938-1966 |
S591.A22 |
County-state |
Soil Survey Washington D.C. |
1617335 |
All States and counties on one record |
1967-date |
S599.01.T37 |
County -state |
Soil Survey Tennessee *or the state you are looking for. |
Various system numbers for each state |
Each county/state has individual records. |
Islands-all dates |
S599.8------- |
|
|
|
|
See our list of Tennessee Soil Surveys by County for holdings at Pendergrass Library.
Soil Surveys Search Tips
Surveys are published and bound in multiple ways. There is no easy way to look at them all in the catalog or in the stacks. Please use multiple searches and always ASK US if you can't find what you are looking for.
Where bound separately (usually years 1938-), the soil surveys are not shelved according to their call number cutter (which includes a year designation). Instead, they are shelved within the call number in alphabetic order by State, and within state by County. In searching for bound volumes, remember that the date the soil survey was issued is not always the same as the date that is used on the spine of the bound volume.
It is not always possible to determine from the online catalog whether a survey has been completed for a particular county/state. Instead, check the NRCS List of Printed Soil Surveys by State for an updated list. Not all counties have completed survey projects and so will not yet have published soil surveys. Ask for help if you do not find what you need.
Survey Access Updates
A recent development is the publishing of soil surveys, geospatial data, and maps online. As of August 2007, 14 Tennessee counties have their most recent soil surveys online - Cannon (2003), Carter (2004), Clay (2004), Cumberland (2002), Grainger (2000), Jackson (2004), Jefferson (2000), Johnson (2005), Marshall (2005), Moore (2006), Perry (2006), Rhea (2005), and Scott County Area (2006). In addition, digital geographic data for Knox County, TN, can be found at KGIS.org.
Soil survey information is regularly updated and posted to the Web Soil Survey, which is the official source for current information. The Web Soil Survey provides both tabular and spatial data and allows you to create a custom soil resource report for your specific area of interest.
Links and Additional Information
Helpful NRCS/USDA Resources:
- Tennessee Soil Survey Program
- Tennessee Soil Survey Status Maps
- List of Printed Soil Surveys by State
- Soil Survey Status Maps
- USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service
An article for novice searchers, librarians, or experts to review
Tips from the Experts: Soil Surveys -- They're Not Just for Farmers Lorraine J. Pellack
Obtain a published TN soil survey by mail by writing to:
State Soil Scientist
USDA-NRCS
675 US Courthouse
801 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203
615.277.2556 voice
615.277.2577 fax
Please Reuse
- Last Updated: Aug 18, 2017 10:35 AM
- URL: https://libguides.utk.edu/soilsurveys
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