Sinkhole risk in Geary County, KS: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 77%
At or near the surface: 75%
Buried under cover: 2%

What to do about a house in Geary County

Check the parcel against your state survey sinkhole map, and ask for an inspection if cracks, depressions or sticking doors show up.

That works out to roughly 297 of Geary County's 385 square miles on soluble rock, 289 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 35,459 residents (92 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 254 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Geary County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Dickinson County, KS, about 23 miles southwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Riley County, KS 20 mi north · 73% at surface
Morris County, KS 23 mi south · 91% at surface
Dickinson County, KS 23 mi southwest · 79% at surface
Wabaunsee County, KS 31 mi east · 65% at surface
Clay County, KS 32 mi northwest · 35% at surface
Pottawatomie County, KS 35 mi northeast · 6% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chase Group (shale), Early Permian - Gearyan in age, covering about 73% of the county. Next is the Council Grove Group at 4%.

Against the rest of Kansas

Geary County ranks 9 of 105 in Kansas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 94% of US counties on that measure.