Sinkhole risk in Beaufort County, SC: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 62%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 62%

The next step for one property

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 355 of Beaufort County's 576 square miles on soluble rock. With about 201,775 residents (350 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 515 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 62% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Beaufort County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hampton County, SC, about 39 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Jasper County, SC 20 mi west · 21% at surface
Colleton County, SC 34 mi north · 48% at surface
Chatham County, GA 35 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Effingham County, GA 38 mi west · 18% at surface
Hampton County, SC 39 mi northwest · 70% at surface
Bryan County, GA 50 mi southwest · under 1% at surface

Against the rest of South Carolina

Beaufort County ranks 35 of 46 in South Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.