Sinkhole risk in Curry County, NM: Not karst, but voids possible

Not karst, but voids possible

No soluble bedrock; some pseudokarst (piping or lava-tube ground).

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

What this means before you buy

Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.

Across 1,406 square miles, under one square mile of Curry County maps onto soluble rock. With about 47,156 residents (34 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 324 map points about 2.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and how ground with no limestone still opens up.

Counties around Curry County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Briscoe County, TX, about 122 miles east. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Parmer County, TX 32 mi east · 0% at surface
Quay County, NM 39 mi north · 4% at surface
Roosevelt County, NM 39 mi south · 0% at surface
Bailey County, TX 46 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Deaf Smith County, TX 49 mi northeast · under 1% at surface
De Baca County, NM 60 mi west · 23% at surface

Against the rest of New Mexico

Curry County ranks 30 of 33 in New Mexico for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.