Sinkhole risk in Boone County, KY: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 66%
At or near the surface: 16%
Buried under cover: 50%

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 162 of Boone County's 246 square miles on soluble rock, 38 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 144,135 residents (585 per square mile), most of the county is built up, so a mapped unit is likely to sit under somebody's street. The figures come from 251 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 50% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Boone County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Kenton County, KY, about 11 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Kenton County, KY 11 mi east · 59% at surface
Ohio County, IN 12 mi west · 12% at surface
Gallatin County, KY 16 mi southwest · 22% at surface
Dearborn County, IN 18 mi northwest · 10% at surface
Switzerland County, IN 18 mi southwest · 13% at surface
Campbell County, KY 19 mi east · 26% at surface

What Boone County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Bull Fork Formation (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 36% of the county. Next is the Ashlock Formation, Grant Lake and Calloway Creek Limestones, and Fairview Formation, undivided at 29%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Boone County ranks 71 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 72% of US counties on that measure.