Sinkhole risk in Cherokee County, SC: 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%

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 20 of Cherokee County's 393 square miles on soluble rock, 20 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 57,770 residents (147 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 601 map points about 0.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Cherokee County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Kershaw County, SC, about 76 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Cleveland County, NC 20 mi north · 2% at surface
Spartanburg County, SC 23 mi west · 0% at surface
York County, SC 25 mi east · 0% at surface
Union County, SC 25 mi south · 2% at surface
Gaston County, NC 30 mi northeast · 6% at surface
Rutherford County, NC 30 mi northwest · 0% at surface

What Cherokee County is built on

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

Against the rest of South Carolina

Cherokee County ranks 29 of 46 in South Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 63% of US counties on that measure.