Sinkhole risk in Clay County, GA: 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: 1%
At or near the surface: 1%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Clay County

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 2 of Clay County's 195 square miles on soluble rock, 2 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 2,815 residents (14 per square mile), much of the land is open, and the mapped rock may sit far from where people actually live. The figures come from 597 map points about 0.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Clay County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Early County, GA, about 21 miles south, 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.

Henry County, AL 16 mi southwest · 20% at surface
Quitman County, GA 17 mi north · under 1% at surface
Randolph County, GA 17 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Early County, GA 21 mi south · 81% at surface
Calhoun County, GA 23 mi east · 40% at surface
Barbour County, AL 30 mi northwest · 14% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Clayton Formation (sand), Paleocene in age, covering about 1% of the county.

Against the rest of Georgia

Clay County ranks 64 of 159 in Georgia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 55% of US counties on that measure.