Sinkhole risk in Bleckley County, GA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 96%
At or near the surface: 39%
Buried under cover: 58%

What to do about a house in Bleckley County

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 208 of Bleckley County's 216 square miles on soluble rock, 83 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 12,626 residents (58 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 501 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 58% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Bleckley County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Pulaski County, GA, about 16 miles southwest, 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.

Pulaski County, GA 16 mi southwest · 67% at surface
Twiggs County, GA 17 mi north · 39% at surface
Houston County, GA 19 mi west · 61% at surface
Dodge County, GA 21 mi southeast · 6% at surface
Laurens County, GA 24 mi east · 8% at surface
Wilkinson County, GA 27 mi north · 44% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Suwannee Limestone and its residuum (limestone), Oligocene in age, covering about 89% of the county. Next is the Ocala Limestone at 7%.

Against the rest of Georgia

Bleckley County ranks 26 of 159 in Georgia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 83% of US counties on that measure.