Sinkhole risk in Barton County, MO: 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: 11%
At or near the surface: 11%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Barton County

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

That works out to roughly 62 of Barton County's 592 square miles on soluble rock, 62 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 11,717 residents (20 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 382 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Barton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jasper County, MO, about 20 miles south, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Jasper County, MO 20 mi south · 85% at surface
Vernon County, MO 24 mi north · 9% at surface
Dade County, MO 27 mi east · 73% at surface
Crawford County, KS 28 mi west · 56% at surface
Cedar County, MO 31 mi northeast · 54% at surface
Cherokee County, KS 36 mi southwest · 6% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Meramecian Series (limestone), Late Mississippian-Meramecian Series in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Osagean Series at 3%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Barton County ranks 68 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 68% of US counties on that measure.