Sinkhole risk in Chilton County, AL: 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: 6%
At or near the surface: 6%
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 39 of Chilton County's 693 square miles on soluble rock, 39 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 47,262 residents (68 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 268 map points about 1.6 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 Chilton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Talladega County, AL, about 48 miles northeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Autauga County, AL 23 mi south · 2% at surface
Bibb County, AL 26 mi northwest · 12% at surface
Coosa County, AL 29 mi east · 3% at surface
Shelby County, AL 29 mi north · 30% at surface
Perry County, AL 36 mi southwest · 29% at surface
Elmore County, AL 38 mi southeast · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Talladega Group; Lay Dam Formation, unnamed diamictite facies (conglomerate), Silurian?-Devonian in age, covering about 3% of the county. Next is the Chepultepec and Copper Ridge Dolomites undifferentiated at 2%.

Against the rest of Alabama

Chilton County ranks 42 of 67 in Alabama for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 63% of US counties on that measure.