Sinkhole risk in Cumberland County, NC: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 23%
At or near the surface: 23%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 149 of Cumberland County's 653 square miles on soluble rock, 149 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 338,430 residents (519 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 253 map points about 1.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Cumberland County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Harnett County, NC, about 22 miles north, 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.

Harnett County, NC 22 mi north · 60% at surface
Hoke County, NC 23 mi west · 83% at surface
Sampson County, NC 26 mi east · 77% at surface
Robeson County, NC 32 mi southwest · 89% at surface
Lee County, NC 35 mi northwest · 26% at surface
Bladen County, NC 36 mi southeast · 38% at surface

What Cumberland County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Middendorf Formation (sand), Cretaceous in age, covering about 17% of the county. Next is the Black Creek Formation at 6%.

Against the rest of North Carolina

Cumberland County ranks 32 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 76% of US counties on that measure.