Sinkhole risk in Chowan County, NC: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 15%
At or near the surface: 15%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Chowan County

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 27 of Chowan County's 173 square miles on soluble rock, 27 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 13,891 residents (80 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 480 map points about 0.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Chowan County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Bertie County, NC, about 21 miles west, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Perquimans County, NC 12 mi east · 3% at surface
Washington County, NC 20 mi south · 11% at surface
Bertie County, NC 21 mi west · 68% at surface
Pasquotank County, NC 21 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Gates County, NC 22 mi north · 46% at surface
Hertford County, NC 27 mi northwest · 75% 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 15% of the county.

Against the rest of North Carolina

Chowan County ranks 36 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 72% of US counties on that measure.