SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Genesee County, NY: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock
54%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
54%

The next step for one property

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 266 of Genesee County's 493 square miles on soluble rock. With about 57,604 residents (117 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 382 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 gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and why the 54% under cover still counts.

Counties around Genesee County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 152 miles southeast. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Genesee County stands out from its surroundings.

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Camillus, Syracuse, and Vernon Formations (shale), Upper Silurian in age, covering about 35% of the county. Next is the Onondaga and Bois Blanc Limestones at 17%.

The county also lies over the Michigan Basin; Ohio Basin; Appalachian Basin, a deep salt or gypsum basin. Deep beds rarely cause surface collapse on their own, but wells and mining into them have.

Against the rest of New York

Genesee County ranks 22 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.