SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Elliott County, KY: 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
1%
At or near the surface
1%
Buried under cover
0%

What to do about a house in Elliott County

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

That works out to roughly 3 of Elliott County's 234 square miles on soluble rock, 3 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 7,263 residents (31 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 253 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Elliott County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Fleming County, KY, about 37 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

What Elliott County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Newman Limestone (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 1% of the county.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Elliott County ranks 87 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 56% of US counties on that measure.