Sinkhole risk in Adams County, IN: Mostly deep or small

Mostly deep or small

Some soluble rock, mostly deeply buried or in a small share of the county.

On soluble rock: 100%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 100%

The next step for one property

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 339 of Adams County's 339 square miles on soluble rock. With about 36,584 residents (108 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 405 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 100% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Adams County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Monroe County, MI, about 110 miles northeast. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Wells County, IN 15 mi west · under 1% at surface
Van Wert County, OH 20 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Mercer County, OH 22 mi southeast · 3% at surface
Jay County, IN 22 mi south · 0% at surface
Allen County, IN 25 mi north · 0% at surface
Blackford County, IN 28 mi southwest · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Wabash Formation (limestone), Silurian in age, covering about 47% of the county. Next is the Pleasant Mills Formation at 36%.

Against the rest of Indiana

Adams County ranks 34 of 92 in Indiana for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.