Sinkhole risk in King William County, VA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 37%
At or near the surface: 37%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in King William County

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 101 of King William County's 274 square miles on soluble rock, 101 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 19,232 residents (70 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 360 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around King William County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 93 miles south. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

King and Queen County, VA 10 mi east · 37% at surface
New Kent County, VA 15 mi south · 22% at surface
Essex County, VA 18 mi northeast · 42% at surface
Henrico County, VA 22 mi southwest · 7% at surface
Hanover County, VA 22 mi west · 11% at surface
Charles City County, VA 24 mi south · 5% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 36% of the county. Next is the Lower Tertiary Deposits at under 1%.

Against the rest of Virginia

King William County ranks 33 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 82% of US counties on that measure.