Sinkhole risk in Humphreys County, TN: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 45%
At or near the surface: 45%
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 239 of Humphreys County's 531 square miles on soluble rock, 239 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 19,554 residents (37 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 266 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Humphreys County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Houston County, TN, about 18 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.

Benton County, TN 16 mi west · 11% at surface
Houston County, TN 18 mi north · 68% at surface
Hickman County, TN 24 mi southeast · 37% at surface
Dickson County, TN 25 mi east · 79% at surface
Perry County, TN 26 mi south · 31% at surface
Stewart County, TN 28 mi north · 71% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the St. Louis Limestone and Warsaw Limestone (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 45% of the county.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Humphreys County ranks 50 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 86% of US counties on that measure.