Sinkhole risk in Caroline County, VA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 48%
At or near the surface: 48%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 252 of Caroline County's 527 square miles on soluble rock, 252 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 33,477 residents (63 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 556 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Caroline County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Clarke County, VA, about 83 miles northwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Spotsylvania County, VA 20 mi northwest · 5% at surface
Hanover County, VA 20 mi south · 11% at surface
Fredericksburg city, VA 20 mi north · 10% at surface
King George County, VA 20 mi northeast · 45% at surface
Essex County, VA 24 mi east · 42% at surface
King William County, VA 26 mi southeast · 37% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 43% of the county. Next is the Lower Tertiary Deposits at 4%.

Against the rest of Virginia

Caroline County ranks 25 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 87% of US counties on that measure.