Sinkhole risk in El Paso County, CO: 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: 2%
At or near the surface: 2%
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 40 of El Paso County's 2,126 square miles on soluble rock, 40 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 752,772 residents (354 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 363 map points about 2.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around El Paso County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Dawes County, NE, about 278 miles north. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Teller County, CO 36 mi west · under 1% at surface
Elbert County, CO 40 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Douglas County, CO 40 mi northwest · 1% at surface
Pueblo County, CO 46 mi south · 45% at surface
Crowley County, CO 55 mi southeast · 4% at surface
Fremont County, CO 55 mi southwest · 12% at surface

What El Paso County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Niobrara Fm (shale), Cretaceous in age, covering about 1% of the county. Next is the Lykins Fm and Lyons Sandstone at under 1%.

Against the rest of Colorado

El Paso County ranks 24 of 64 in Colorado for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 57% of US counties on that measure.