Sinkhole risk in Houghton County, MI: No soluble rock mapped

No soluble rock mapped

No soluble bedrock mapped.

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

What this means before you buy

No soluble bedrock is mapped here, so natural sinkholes are unlikely. Collapses from broken pipes or old mines are a separate risk.

Across 1,009 square miles, under one square mile of Houghton County maps onto soluble rock. With about 38,041 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 476 map points about 1.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Houghton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Emmet County, MI, about 200 miles southeast. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Baraga County, MI 25 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Keweenaw County, MI 29 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Ontonagon County, MI 32 mi west · 0% at surface
Marquette County, MI 56 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Iron County, MI 57 mi south · 0% at surface
Gogebic County, MI 64 mi southwest · 0% at surface

Against the rest of Michigan

Houghton County ranks 39 of 83 in Michigan for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.