Sinkhole risk in Dale County, AL: 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: 7%
At or near the surface: 7%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 39 of Dale County's 561 square miles on soluble rock, 39 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 50,067 residents (89 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 350 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Dale County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Houston County, AL, about 26 miles southeast, 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.

Coffee County, AL 22 mi west · 2% at surface
Henry County, AL 23 mi east · 20% at surface
Houston County, AL 26 mi southeast · 84% at surface
Geneva County, AL 27 mi southwest · 51% at surface
Pike County, AL 32 mi northwest · 31% at surface
Barbour County, AL 33 mi north · 14% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Claiborne/Jackson Group; Residuum (residuum), Eocene-Oligocene in age, covering about 7% of the county.

Against the rest of Alabama

Dale County ranks 41 of 67 in Alabama for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 65% of US counties on that measure.