Sinkhole risk in Gloucester County, VA: 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: 8%
At or near the surface: 8%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Gloucester County

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 17 of Gloucester County's 218 square miles on soluble rock, 17 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 40,154 residents (184 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 527 map points about 0.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Gloucester County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 76 miles south. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Williamsburg city, VA 14 mi southwest · 4% at surface
Middlesex County, VA 14 mi north · 14% at surface
Mathews County, VA 14 mi east · 0% at surface
York County, VA 14 mi southeast · 5% at surface
James City County, VA 15 mi west · 10% at surface
Lancaster County, VA 22 mi north · 4% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 8% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

Gloucester County ranks 60 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 66% of US counties on that measure.