Sinkhole risk in Cumberland County, KY: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 36%
At or near the surface: 36%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 111 of Cumberland County's 305 square miles on soluble rock, 111 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 6,047 residents (20 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 275 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Cumberland County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Clinton County, KY, about 14 miles east, 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.

Clinton County, KY 14 mi east · 75% at surface
Clay County, TN 19 mi southwest · 39% at surface
Monroe County, KY 19 mi west · 48% at surface
Metcalfe County, KY 20 mi northwest · 57% at surface
Adair County, KY 23 mi north · 39% at surface
Pickett County, TN 23 mi southeast · 56% at surface

What Cumberland County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Cumberland Formation and Leipers and Catheys (?) Limestones, undivided (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 17% of the county. Next is the Salem, Warsaw, and Harrodsburg Limestones, undivided at 14%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Cumberland County ranks 59 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 82% of US counties on that measure.