Sinkhole risk in Hampshire County, MA: 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: 11%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 11%

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 57 of Hampshire County's 527 square miles on soluble rock. With about 165,399 residents (314 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 513 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 11% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Hampshire County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 246 miles west. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Hampden County, MA 14 mi south · 0% at surface
Franklin County, MA 17 mi north · 0% at surface
Berkshire County, MA 28 mi west · 0% at surface
Capitol Planning Region, CT 36 mi south · 0% at surface
Worcester County, MA 37 mi east · 0% at surface
Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT 44 mi southwest · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Waits River Formation (schist), Lower Devonian in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Gile Mountain Formation at 4%.

Against the rest of Massachusetts

Hampshire County ranks 8 of 14 in Massachusetts for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.