Sinkhole risk in Dickinson County, MI: 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: 12%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 12%

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 88 of Dickinson County's 761 square miles on soluble rock. With about 25,995 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 338 map points about 1.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 12% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Dickinson County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Emmet County, MI, about 142 miles east. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Florence County, WI 28 mi west · 0% at surface
Iron County, MI 34 mi west · 0% at surface
Menominee County, MI 37 mi southeast · under 1% at surface
Marinette County, WI 46 mi south · 0% at surface
Marquette County, MI 46 mi north · 0% at surface
Delta County, MI 49 mi east · 0% at surface

What Dickinson County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Trempealeau Formation (sandstone), Upper Cambrian in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Chocolay Group, undivided at 4%.

Against the rest of Michigan

Dickinson County ranks 30 of 83 in Michigan for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.