Sinkhole risk in Fayette County, OH: 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: 97%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 97%

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 396 of Fayette County's 406 square miles on soluble rock. With about 28,782 residents (71 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 313 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 97% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Fayette County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Mason County, KY, about 69 miles south. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Clinton County, OH 21 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Pickaway County, OH 23 mi east · 0% at surface
Madison County, OH 24 mi north · 0% at surface
Greene County, OH 25 mi west · 0% at surface
Highland County, OH 27 mi south · 3% at surface
Ross County, OH 27 mi southeast · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Tymochtee and Greenfield Formations, Undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Silurian in age, covering about 51% of the county. Next is the Salina Group at 25%.

Against the rest of Ohio

Fayette County ranks 30 of 88 in Ohio for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.