Sinkhole risk in Anderson County, KY: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 25%
At or near the surface: 25%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

Check the parcel against your state survey sinkhole map, and ask for an inspection if cracks, depressions or sticking doors show up.

That works out to roughly 51 of Anderson County's 202 square miles on soluble rock, 51 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 24,883 residents (123 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 612 map points about 0.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Anderson County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Woodford County, KY, about 13 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Woodford County, KY 13 mi east · 99% at surface
Mercer County, KY 15 mi southeast · 47% at surface
Franklin County, KY 17 mi north · 47% at surface
Spencer County, KY 18 mi west · 56% at surface
Washington County, KY 20 mi southwest · 42% at surface
Shelby County, KY 21 mi northwest · 68% at surface

What Anderson County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lexington Limestone (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 23% of the county. Next is the High Bridge Group at 3%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Anderson County ranks 63 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 77% of US counties on that measure.