Sinkhole risk in Hardeman County, TN: 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: 5%
At or near the surface: 5%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 33 of Hardeman County's 668 square miles on soluble rock, 33 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 25,434 residents (38 per square mile), much of the land is open, and the mapped rock may sit far from where people actually live. The figures come from 371 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Hardeman County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Tippah County, MS, about 32 miles south, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Fayette County, TN 24 mi west · 0% at surface
McNairy County, TN 24 mi east · 11% at surface
Chester County, TN 25 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Madison County, TN 28 mi north · 0% at surface
Haywood County, TN 30 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Benton County, MS 31 mi southwest · 2% at surface

What Hardeman County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Midway Group including Porters Creek Clay and Clayton Formation (clay or mud), Tertiary in age, covering about 5% of the county.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Hardeman County ranks 76 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 63% of US counties on that measure.