Sinkhole risk in Hancock County, IN: 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: 100%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 100%

What to do about a house in Hancock County

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

That works out to roughly 306 of Hancock County's 306 square miles on soluble rock. With about 88,810 residents (290 per square mile), there is effectively nowhere in the county off the soluble rock, town or country. The figures come from 355 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 100% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Hancock County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Monroe County, IN, about 61 miles southwest. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Marion County, IN 19 mi west · 0% at surface
Shelby County, IN 21 mi south · 0% at surface
Hamilton County, IN 21 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Henry County, IN 21 mi east · 0% at surface
Rush County, IN 21 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Madison County, IN 24 mi north · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Muscatatuck Group (limestone), Devonian in age, covering about 86% of the county. Next is the Wabash Formation at 13%.

Against the rest of Indiana

Hancock County ranks 53 of 92 in Indiana for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.