Sinkhole risk in Catawba 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: 5%
At or near the surface: 5%
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 19 of Catawba County's 401 square miles on soluble rock, 19 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 167,054 residents (416 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 252 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Catawba County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Smyth County, VA, about 84 miles north. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Lincoln County, NC 12 mi south · 10% at surface
Alexander County, NC 18 mi north · 0% at surface
Iredell County, NC 22 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Gaston County, NC 26 mi south · 6% at surface
Caldwell County, NC 27 mi northwest · under 1% at surface
Burke County, NC 28 mi west · 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Blacksburg Formation (schist), Cambrian/Late Proterozoic in age, covering about 5% of the county.

Against the rest of North Carolina

Catawba County ranks 48 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 63% of US counties on that measure.