Sinkhole risk in Carter County, KY: 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: 9%
At or near the surface: 9%
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 35 of Carter County's 409 square miles on soluble rock, 35 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 26,098 residents (64 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 603 map points about 0.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Carter County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Fleming County, KY, about 36 miles west, 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.

Elliott County, KY 14 mi south · 1% at surface
Greenup County, KY 18 mi north · 1% at surface
Boyd County, KY 20 mi east · 0% at surface
Rowan County, KY 22 mi west · 4% at surface
Lawrence County, KY 23 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Lewis County, KY 24 mi northwest · 22% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Newman Limestone (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 9% of the county.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Carter County ranks 76 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 67% of US counties on that measure.