Sinkhole risk in Hardy County, WV: 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: 10%
At or near the surface: 10%
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 56 of Hardy County's 582 square miles on soluble rock, 56 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 14,335 residents (25 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 551 map points about 1.0 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 Hardy County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Winchester city, VA, about 37 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Shenandoah County, VA 18 mi southeast · 50% at surface
Grant County, WV 20 mi west · 11% at surface
Hampshire County, WV 24 mi northeast · 8% at surface
Mineral County, WV 28 mi north · 12% at surface
Page County, VA 33 mi southeast · 37% at surface
Frederick County, VA 34 mi northeast · 30% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Tonoloway, Wills Creek, and Williamsport Formations (limestone), Silurian in age, covering about 5% of the county. Next is the Helderberg Group at 4%.

Against the rest of West Virginia

Hardy County ranks 16 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 68% of US counties on that measure.