Sinkhole risk in Goodhue County, MN: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 83%
At or near the surface: 22%
Buried under cover: 61%

What this means before you buy

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 624 of Goodhue County's 757 square miles on soluble rock, 166 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 47,982 residents (63 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 560 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 61% under cover still counts, and the signs to look for and how an inspection works.

Counties around Goodhue County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Vernon County, WI, about 109 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Dakota County, MN 25 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Wabasha County, MN 25 mi east · 21% at surface
Pierce County, WI 26 mi northeast · 35% at surface
Dodge County, MN 28 mi south · 0% at surface
Rice County, MN 29 mi west · 0% at surface
Olmsted County, MN 32 mi southeast · 6% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lower Ordovician rocks, undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 38% of the county. Next is the Upper and Middle Ordovician rocks, undivided at 19%.

Against the rest of Minnesota

Goodhue County ranks 4 of 87 in Minnesota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 76% of US counties on that measure.