SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Benton County, TN: 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%

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 42 of Benton County's 394 square miles on soluble rock, 42 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 16,173 residents (41 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 274 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 Benton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Houston County, TN, about 25 miles northeast, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Benton County stands out from its surroundings.

What Benton County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Devonian Formations, includes Pegram Formation, Camden Formation, Harriman Formation, Flat Gap Limestone, and Ross Formation (limestone), Devonian in age, covering about 10% of the county. Next is the Silurian Formations, including Decatur Limestone, Brownsport Group (Lobelville Formation, Bob Limestone, Beech River Formation), Wayne Group (Dixon Formation, Lego Formation, Waldron Shale, Laurel Limestone, Osgood Formation) and Brassfield Limestone at under 1%.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Benton County ranks 73 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 68% of US counties on that measure.