Sinkhole risk in Carter County, TN: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 25%
At or near the surface: 25%
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 85 of Carter County's 341 square miles on soluble rock, 85 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 57,434 residents (168 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 540 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 Sullivan County, TN, about 18 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Sullivan County, TN 18 mi northwest · 92% at surface
Avery County, NC 19 mi southeast · 3% at surface
Johnson County, TN 19 mi northeast · 21% at surface
Mitchell County, NC 19 mi south · 0% at surface
Washington County, TN 21 mi west · 88% at surface
Unicoi County, TN 21 mi southwest · 11% at surface

What Carter County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Shady Dolomite (dolostone (dolomite)), Cambrian in age, covering about 9% of the county. Next is the Knox Group at 8%.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Carter County ranks 62 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 77% of US counties on that measure.