Sinkhole risk in Bledsoe County, TN: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 25%
At or near the surface: 25%
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 102 of Bledsoe County's 407 square miles on soluble rock, 102 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 15,591 residents (38 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 480 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Bledsoe County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Meigs County, TN, about 23 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Rhea County, TN 14 mi east · 47% at surface
Van Buren County, TN 16 mi northwest · 27% at surface
Sequatchie County, TN 19 mi southwest · 21% at surface
Meigs County, TN 23 mi east · 91% at surface
White County, TN 27 mi northwest · 74% at surface
Cumberland County, TN 27 mi northeast · 3% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Wells Creek Formation and Knox Group (above Copper Ridge Dolomite) (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Ridley Limestone at 5%.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Bledsoe County ranks 61 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 77% of US counties on that measure.