Sinkhole risk in Dixon 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: 18%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 18%

What to do about a house in Dixon County

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

That works out to roughly 85 of Dixon County's 476 square miles on soluble rock. With about 5,526 residents (12 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 279 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 18% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Dixon County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Knox County, NE, about 54 miles west. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Dakota County, NE 16 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Cedar County, NE 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Wayne County, NE 23 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Union County, SD 26 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Thurston County, NE 28 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Clay County, SD 30 mi north · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Niobrara Formation (limestone), Late Cretaceous in age, covering about 17% of the county. Next is the Greenhorn Limestone and Graneros Shale at 1%.

Against the rest of Nebraska

Dixon County ranks 54 of 93 in Nebraska for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.