Sinkhole risk in DeKalb County, MO: 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: 83%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 83%

The next step for one property

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

That works out to roughly 349 of DeKalb County's 421 square miles on soluble rock. With about 9,884 residents (23 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 391 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 83% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around DeKalb County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jackson County, MO, about 62 miles south. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Clinton County, MO 20 mi south · 0% at surface
Gentry County, MO 22 mi north · 0% at surface
Andrew County, MO 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Daviess County, MO 24 mi east · 0% at surface
Buchanan County, MO 27 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Caldwell County, MO 28 mi southeast · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lansing Group (shale), Late Pennsylvanian-Upper Series-Missourian Stage in age, covering about 44% of the county. Next is the Kansas City Group at 36%.

Against the rest of Missouri

DeKalb County ranks 88 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.