Soil properties play a fundamental role in dryland resource allocation thereby influencing the structure, function and diversity of these vulnerable terrestrial ecosystems. A major limitation in understanding the relationship between soil properties and plant community structure, and the associated feedbacks, is a lack of quantitative spatial data capturing soil properties such as texture. Geophysical instruments, and in particular electromagnetic induction (EMI) can be used to obtain spatially exhaustive electrical measurements of ground conductivity. Our results in a semi-arid environment suggest a firm relationship between the EMI signal and the soil texture in this 40-hectare watershed. Combined with vegetation data from air photos, links appear between the soil spatial patterns and the vegetation patterns. Geophysical methods offer an exciting way forward in obtaining data on soil spatial properties. When used in combination with other measurement methods they will allow us to advance our understanding of spatial soil processes in terrestrial ecosystems.