SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Albany County, NY: 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
12%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
12%

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 61 of Albany County's 523 square miles on soluble rock. With about 319,964 residents (612 per square mile), most of the county is built up, so a mapped unit is likely to sit under somebody's street. The figures come from 258 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 12% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Albany County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 194 miles southwest. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Onondaga Limestone (shale), Lower to Middle Devonian in age, covering about 6% of the county. Next is the Helderberg Group at 5%.

Against the rest of New York

Albany County ranks 7 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.