Sinkhole risk in Doña Ana County, NM: 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: 6%
At or near the surface: 6%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Doña Ana County

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

That works out to roughly 240 of Doña Ana County's 3,808 square miles on soluble rock, 240 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 229,366 residents (60 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 315 map points about 3.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Doña Ana County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Eddy County, NM, about 148 miles east. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

El Paso County, TX 53 mi southeast · 21% at surface
Luna County, NM 55 mi west · under 1% at surface
Sierra County, NM 57 mi north · 16% at surface
Otero County, NM 66 mi east · 59% at surface
Grant County, NM 94 mi west · 2% at surface
Hudspeth County, TX 106 mi southeast · 38% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Pennsylvanian rocks, undivided (sedimentary rock), Pennsylvanian in age, covering about 2% of the county. Next is the Hueco Formation at 1%.

Against the rest of New Mexico

Doña Ana County ranks 21 of 33 in New Mexico for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 64% of US counties on that measure.