Sinkhole risk in Colleton County, SC: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 96%
At or near the surface: 48%
Buried under cover: 48%

What this means before you buy

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 1,013 of Colleton County's 1,057 square miles on soluble rock, 510 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 39,259 residents (37 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 468 map points about 1.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 48% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Colleton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Dorchester County, SC, about 22 miles northeast, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Dorchester County, SC 22 mi northeast · 61% at surface
Hampton County, SC 29 mi west · 70% at surface
Bamberg County, SC 34 mi northwest · 84% at surface
Beaufort County, SC 34 mi south · 0% at surface
Jasper County, SC 36 mi southwest · 21% at surface
Orangeburg County, SC 41 mi north · 72% at surface

Against the rest of South Carolina

Colleton County ranks 17 of 46 in South Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 87% of US counties on that measure.