Sinkhole risk in Henry County, MO: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 18%
At or near the surface: 18%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 128 of Henry County's 697 square miles on soluble rock, 128 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 22,575 residents (32 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 389 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Henry County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Johnson County, MO, about 25 miles north, 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.

St. Clair County, MO 24 mi south · 43% at surface
Johnson County, MO 25 mi north · 50% at surface
Benton County, MO 28 mi east · 89% at surface
Bates County, MO 31 mi west · 45% at surface
Cass County, MO 35 mi northwest · 72% at surface
Pettis County, MO 36 mi northeast · 71% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Marmaton Group (limestone), Middle Pennsylvanian-Middle Series-Desmonian Stage in age, covering about 13% of the county. Next is the Osagean Series at 5%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Henry County ranks 66 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 73% of US counties on that measure.