SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Clay County, MO: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock
84%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
84%

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 335 of Clay County's 398 square miles on soluble rock. With about 263,370 residents (662 per square mile), most of the county is built up, so a mapped unit is likely to sit under somebody's street. The figures come from 337 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 84% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Clay County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jackson County, MO, about 22 miles south, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Kansas City Group (limestone), Late Pennsylvanian-Upper Series-Missourian Stage in age, covering about 67% of the county. Next is the Lansing Group at 18%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Clay County ranks 85 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.