Sinkhole risk in Autauga County, AL: 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 14 of Autauga County's 594 square miles on soluble rock, 14 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 61,464 residents (103 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 304 map points about 1.4 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 Autauga County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Talladega County, AL, about 64 miles northeast. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Chilton County, AL 23 mi north · 6% at surface
Lowndes County, AL 27 mi south · 49% at surface
Elmore County, AL 30 mi east · 0% at surface
Dallas County, AL 31 mi southwest · 27% at surface
Montgomery County, AL 34 mi southeast · 49% at surface
Coosa County, AL 36 mi northeast · 3% at surface

What Autauga County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Selma Group; Mooreville Chalk (carbonate), Cretaceous in age, covering about 2% of the county.

Against the rest of Alabama

Autauga County ranks 49 of 67 in Alabama for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 58% of US counties on that measure.