Sinkhole risk in Jackson County, CO: 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: 4%
At or near the surface: 4%
Buried under cover: 0%

The next step for one property

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

That works out to roughly 69 of Jackson County's 1,614 square miles on soluble rock, 69 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 1,273 residents (1 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 254 map points about 2.5 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 Jackson County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Dawes County, NE, about 217 miles northeast. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Routt County, CO 37 mi west · under 1% at surface
Grand County, CO 40 mi south · 6% at surface
Larimer County, CO 44 mi east · 9% at surface
Boulder County, CO 63 mi southeast · 4% at surface
Gilpin County, CO 70 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Summit County, CO 73 mi south · 4% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Colorado Group (shale), Cretaceous in age, covering about 4% of the county. Next is the Chugwater Fm at under 1%.

Against the rest of Colorado

Jackson County ranks 19 of 64 in Colorado for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 62% of US counties on that measure.