Sinkhole risk in Clinton 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: 100%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 100%

What to do about a house in Clinton 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 419 of Clinton County's 419 square miles on soluble rock. With about 21,721 residents (52 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 391 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Clinton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jackson County, MO, about 42 miles south. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

DeKalb County, MO 20 mi north · 0% at surface
Clay County, MO 20 mi south · 0% at surface
Buchanan County, MO 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Caldwell County, MO 22 mi east · 0% at surface
Platte County, MO 25 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Ray County, MO 30 mi southeast · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lansing Group (shale), Late Pennsylvanian-Upper Series-Missourian Stage in age, covering about 75% of the county. Next is the Kansas City Group at 25%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Clinton County ranks 86 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.