Sinkhole risk in Albemarle County, VA: No soluble rock mapped

What to do about a house in Albemarle County

No soluble bedrock is mapped here, so natural sinkholes are unlikely. Collapses from broken pipes or old mines are a separate risk.

Across 720 square miles, under one square mile of Albemarle County maps onto soluble rock. With about 117,313 residents (163 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 571 map points about 1.1 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 Albemarle County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Waynesboro city, VA, about 19 miles west, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

• Charlottesville city, VA 4 mi east · 0% at surface
• Waynesboro city, VA 19 mi west · 69% at surface
• Greene County, VA 19 mi north · 0% at surface
• Fluvanna County, VA 20 mi southeast · 0% at surface
• Nelson County, VA 24 mi southwest · under 1% at surface
• Staunton city, VA 29 mi west · 89% at surface

Against the rest of Virginia

Albemarle County ranks 98 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.

• Lexington city 100%
• Salem city 100%
• Roanoke city 98%
• Winchester city 90%
• Bristol city 89%