Sinkhole risk in Carteret County, NC: 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%

The next step for one property

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

That works out to roughly 44 of Carteret County's 508 square miles on soluble rock, 44 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 70,259 residents (138 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 394 map points about 1.1 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 Carteret County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Craven County, NC, about 36 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Carteret County stands out from its surroundings.

Pamlico County, NC 21 mi north · 17% at surface
Craven County, NC 36 mi northwest · 69% at surface
Hyde County, NC 44 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Beaufort County, NC 46 mi north · 41% at surface
Jones County, NC 48 mi west · 92% at surface
Onslow County, NC 55 mi west · 65% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Yorktown Formation and Duplin Formation, Undivided (clay or mud), Tertiary in age, covering about 9% of the county.

Against the rest of North Carolina

Carteret County ranks 42 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 67% of US counties on that measure.