Sinkhole risk in Franklin County, NY: 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
- 12%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 12%
The next step for one property
Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.
That works out to roughly 199 of Franklin County's 1,629 square miles on soluble rock. With about 47,086 residents (29 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 295 map points about 2.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Two things to read before deciding: why the 12% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.
Counties around Franklin County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 287 miles southwest. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.
- Clinton County, NY 32 mi east · under 1% at surface
- St. Lawrence County, NY 38 mi west · under 1% at surface
- Essex County, NY 43 mi southeast · 0% at surface
- Grand Isle County, VT 52 mi east · 1% at surface
- Chittenden County, VT 62 mi east · 0% at surface
- Hamilton County, NY 65 mi south · 0% at surface
What Franklin County is built on
The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Beekmantown Group (in part) (dolostone (dolomite)), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 6% of the county. Next is the Theresa Formation at 6%.
Against the rest of New York
Franklin County ranks 21 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- New York County under 1%
- St. Lawrence County under 1%
- Saratoga County under 1%
- Cayuga County under 1%
- Clinton County under 1%