Sinkhole risk in Auglaize County, OH: 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: 100%
At or near the surface: 1%
Buried under cover: 99%

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 401 of Auglaize County's 401 square miles on soluble rock, 4 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 45,922 residents (114 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 610 map points about 0.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 99% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Auglaize County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Monroe County, MI, about 101 miles north. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Shelby County, OH 16 mi south · 0% at surface
Allen County, OH 16 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Mercer County, OH 21 mi west · 3% at surface
Logan County, OH 27 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Van Wert County, OH 28 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Hardin County, OH 30 mi east · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Tymochtee and Greenfield Formations, Undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Silurian in age, covering about 35% of the county. Next is the Lockport Dolomite at 34%.

Against the rest of Ohio

Auglaize County ranks 9 of 88 in Ohio for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 56% of US counties on that measure.