SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Amelia County, VA: 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
2%
At or near the surface
2%
Buried under cover
0%

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 5 of Amelia County's 355 square miles on soluble rock, 5 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 13,716 residents (39 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 543 map points about 0.8 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 Amelia County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Waynesboro city, VA, about 72 miles northwest. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Newark Supergroup; Conglomerate, mixed clasts (conglomerate), Triassic in age, covering about 2% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

Amelia County ranks 80 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 56% of US counties on that measure.