SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Essex County, VT: 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
0%
Buried under cover
1%

What to do about a house in Essex County

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

That works out to roughly 8 of Essex County's 662 square miles on soluble rock. With about 6,037 residents (9 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 254 map points about 1.6 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 Essex County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 374 miles southwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Waits River Formation (limestone), Devonian in age, covering about 1% of the county.

Against the rest of Vermont

Essex County ranks 9 of 14 in Vermont for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.