SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Cheatham 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
39%
At or near the surface
39%
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 117 of Cheatham County's 302 square miles on soluble rock, 117 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 42,604 residents (141 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 522 map points about 0.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Cheatham County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Dickson County, TN, about 17 miles southwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Cheatham County stands out from its surroundings.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the St. Louis Limestone and Warsaw Limestone (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 35% of the county. Next is the Silurian Formations, including Decatur Limestone, Brownsport Group (Lobelville Formation, Bob Limestone, Beech River Formation), Wayne Group (Dixon Formation, Lego Formation, Waldron Shale, Laurel Limestone, Osgood Formation) and Brassfield Limestone at 3%.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Cheatham County ranks 52 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 83% of US counties on that measure.