Sinkhole risk in Carroll County, VA: No soluble rock mapped

No soluble rock mapped

No soluble bedrock mapped.

On soluble rock: under 1%
At or near the surface: under 1%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

No soluble bedrock is mapped here, so natural sinkholes are unlikely. Collapses from broken pipes or old mines are a separate risk.

That works out to roughly 1 of Carroll County's 475 square miles on soluble rock, 1 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 29,242 residents (62 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 591 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Carroll County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Wythe County, VA, about 23 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Galax city, VA 11 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Surry County, NC 22 mi south · 12% at surface
Wythe County, VA 23 mi northwest · 64% at surface
Pulaski County, VA 23 mi north · 57% at surface
Patrick County, VA 25 mi east · 0% at surface
Floyd County, VA 25 mi northeast · under 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Shady Dolomite (dolostone (dolomite)), Cambrian in age, covering about under 1% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

Carroll County ranks 93 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 51% of US counties on that measure.