Sinkhole risk in Atoka County, OK: 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: 5%
At or near the surface: 5%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 45 of Atoka County's 975 square miles on soluble rock, 45 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 14,600 residents (15 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 259 map points about 1.9 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 Atoka County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Grady County, OK, about 114 miles northwest. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Coal County, OK 19 mi northwest · 4% at surface
Bryan County, OK 32 mi southwest · 18% at surface
Johnston County, OK 36 mi west · 33% at surface
Pushmataha County, OK 36 mi east · 0% at surface
Choctaw County, OK 37 mi southeast · 30% at surface
Pittsburg County, OK 40 mi northeast · under 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Kiamichi Formation (shale), Early Cretaceous in age, covering about 2% of the county. Next is the Wapanucka Formation and Chickachoc Chert at 2%.

Against the rest of Oklahoma

Atoka County ranks 54 of 77 in Oklahoma for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 62% of US counties on that measure.