SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Fulton 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
14%
At or near the surface
under 1%
Buried under cover
14%

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 70 of Fulton County's 495 square miles on soluble rock, 1 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 52,073 residents (105 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 297 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 14% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Fulton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 201 miles southwest. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Beekmantown Group (dolostone (dolomite)), Cambrian in age, covering about 4% of the county. Next is the Theresa (Galway) Formation at 3%.

Against the rest of New York

Fulton County ranks 6 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 51% of US counties on that measure.