Sinkhole risk in Calhoun County, MS: Mostly deep or small

Mostly deep or small

Some soluble rock, mostly deeply buried or in a small share of the county.

On soluble rock: 6%
At or near the surface: 6%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 36 of Calhoun County's 587 square miles on soluble rock, 36 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 12,754 residents (22 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 362 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Calhoun County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Chickasaw County, MS, about 22 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.

Yalobusha County, MS 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Chickasaw County, MS 22 mi east · 93% at surface
Webster County, MS 23 mi south · 7% at surface
Pontotoc County, MS 26 mi northeast · 82% at surface
Grenada County, MS 29 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Lafayette County, MS 30 mi north · 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Porters Creek formation (clay or mud), Paleocene in age, covering about 6% of the county.

Against the rest of Mississippi

Calhoun County ranks 27 of 82 in Mississippi for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 64% of US counties on that measure.