Sinkhole risk in Bell County, TX: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 32%
At or near the surface: 32%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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 332 of Bell County's 1,054 square miles on soluble rock, 332 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 399,578 residents (379 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 571 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Bell County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Runnels County, TX, about 158 miles west. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Williamson County, TX 28 mi south · 46% at surface
Coryell County, TX 31 mi northwest · 35% at surface
Milam County, TX 34 mi southeast · 11% at surface
Falls County, TX 36 mi northeast · 14% at surface
McLennan County, TX 39 mi northeast · 41% at surface
Burnet County, TX 46 mi west · 63% at surface

What Bell County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Austin Chalk (limestone), Late Cretaceous; Gulfian Series in age, covering about 11% of the county. Next is the Glen Rose Limestone at 5%.

Against the rest of Texas

Bell County ranks 81 of 254 in Texas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 80% of US counties on that measure.