Sinkhole risk in Dakota County, NE: Mostly deep or small

Mostly deep or small

Some soluble rock, mostly deeply buried or in a small share of the county.

On soluble rock: 4%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 4%

What this means before you buy

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 10 of Dakota County's 264 square miles on soluble rock. With about 21,335 residents (81 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 322 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Dakota County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Knox County, NE, about 70 miles west. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Dixon County, NE 16 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Thurston County, NE 16 mi south · 0% at surface
Woodbury County, IA 26 mi east · 0% at surface
Plymouth County, IA 30 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Union County, SD 31 mi north · 0% at surface
Wayne County, NE 31 mi southwest · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Greenhorn Limestone and Graneros Shale (shale), Late Cretaceous in age, covering about 3% of the county. Next is the Carlile Shale at under 1%.

Against the rest of Nebraska

Dakota County ranks 51 of 93 in Nebraska for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.