Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) within Iowa Image
| Updated:
Author: Bradley Miller
This is an archived story. The content, links and information may have changed since the publication date.
This map displays the Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs) within Iowa, which are geographic regions defined by common patterns in climate, soils, geology, vegetation, and land use. Each MLRA is labeled by code (e.g., 107A, 108C) and includes the contact information for the associated USDA-NRCS MLRA Soil Project Leader. The MLRAs serve as a basis for regional soil survey planning and natural resource assessments.
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Source:
Prepared by Iowa State University’s Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics (GLSI) using MLRA boundaries from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Geospatial Data Gateway.
Resolution:
County-level base map with overlaid MLRA vector polygons; displayed as a statewide static image
Suggested Use:
Useful for soil survey coordination, land use planning, regional resource management, and identifying the appropriate MLRA project office for technical support. Beneficial for researchers, land managers, conservationists, and agricultural advisors working within Iowa’s diverse resource areas.
References
Miller, B.A. and C.L. Burras. 2015. Comparison of surficial geology maps based on soil survey and in depth geological survey. Soil Horizons 56(1). doi:10.2136/sh14-05-0005.
Soil Survey Staff. 2014. Official Soil Series Descriptions (OSD). United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/osdname.asp
Soil Survey Staff. 2014. Gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO). United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov