Sinkhole risk in Aitkin County, MN: 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: 1%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 1%

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 25 of Aitkin County's 1,821 square miles on soluble rock. With about 16,335 residents (9 per square mile), much of the land is open, and the mapped rock may sit far from where people actually live. The figures come from 363 map points about 2.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Aitkin County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Vernon County, WI, about 243 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Crow Wing County, MN 32 mi west · 0% at surface
Carlton County, MN 36 mi east · 0% at surface
Kanabec County, MN 46 mi south · 0% at surface
Pine County, MN 47 mi southeast · 1% at surface
Mille Lacs County, MN 48 mi south · 0% at surface
Cass County, MN 50 mi northwest · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Fond du Lac Formation (shale), Middle Proterozoic in age, covering about 1% of the county. Next is the Hinckley Sandstone at under 1%.

Against the rest of Minnesota

Aitkin County ranks 8 of 87 in Minnesota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.