The soils in Gibbon fall into the Hall-Wood River Soil Association. This group of soils developed on the broad, nearly level stream terraces in central Nebraska. Gibbon rests on a alluvial plain. The soils in this topographic level have developed in alluvium derived mainly from the Platte River and coarse sand grains and gravel are common even in silt and clay strata.
The soils developed from alluvium are numerous and varied. The alluvium laid down by the Platte River contains some coarse materials but along Wood River the alluvium is predominantly salty. Leshara and lamo occur throughout the area on the more poorly drained sites. Hobbs is the most extensive soil near the Platte River.
Wood River soils are dominant in the Gibbon area. These soils are moderately well drained with slowly permeable subsoil's. Hobbs and Cozad soils have developed in the recently deposited sediments along Wood River, which carries runoff water from the Upland. South of Gibbon, the principle soils are Hord, Ortello, O'Neill and Meadin. These soils have also derived in alluvium derived from the Platte River.
Immediately surrounding the Platte River and adjacent its channels, the soils have developed in sandy materials. The areas farthest from the channel tend to have soils developed in silty materials which have gnashed onto the flood plain from the Loess-Mantled Uplands.
The Uplands to the north of Gibbon are soils developed in brown or reddish-brown Loess of Illinoian Age, Nuckolls and Penny soils; and in Illinoian-Age sand and gravel, Jansen and Meadin soils. Valentine and Dunday soils have developed in Eolian sand and Anselmo and Kenesaw soils have developed where Loess and sand materials are mixed or stratified. Anselmo has a sandy loam subsoil or silt loam subsoil with thin lenses of sand in the surface and subsoil that grades gradually to the underlying loess.