Sinkhole risk in Boone County, MO: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 69%
At or near the surface: 27%
Buried under cover: 42%

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 470 of Boone County's 686 square miles on soluble rock, 182 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 192,154 residents (280 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 264 map points about 1.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 42% 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 Cooper County, MO, about 29 miles west, 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.

Howard County, MO 23 mi northwest · 5% at surface
Callaway County, MO 23 mi southeast · 28% at surface
Cooper County, MO 29 mi west · 83% at surface
Moniteau County, MO 29 mi southwest · 95% at surface
Audrain County, MO 29 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Randolph County, MO 33 mi north · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Osagean Series (limestone), Early Mississippian-Osagean Series in age, covering about 44% of the county. Next is the Marmaton Group at 18%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Boone County ranks 65 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 78% of US counties on that measure.