Sinkhole risk in Buchanan 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: 79%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 79%

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 322 of Buchanan County's 408 square miles on soluble rock. With about 83,574 residents (205 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 302 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 79% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Buchanan County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jackson County, MO, about 52 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Platte County, MO 20 mi south · 0% at surface
Doniphan County, KS 20 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Clinton County, MO 22 mi east · 0% at surface
Andrew County, MO 23 mi north · 0% at surface
DeKalb County, MO 27 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Atchison County, KS 28 mi west · 0% at surface

What Buchanan County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lansing Group (shale), Late Pennsylvanian-Upper Series-Missourian Stage in age, covering about 44% of the county. Next is the Shawnee Group at 32%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Buchanan County ranks 80 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.