Sinkhole risk in Lafayette County, MS: 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: 1%
At or near the surface: 1%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 7 of Lafayette County's 632 square miles on soluble rock, 7 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 59,843 residents (95 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 373 map points about 1.3 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 Lafayette County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Pontotoc County, MS, about 27 miles east, 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.

Yalobusha County, MS 26 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Pontotoc County, MS 27 mi east · 82% at surface
Panola County, MS 27 mi west · 0% at surface
Marshall County, MS 29 mi north · 1% at surface
Union County, MS 29 mi east · 75% at surface
Calhoun County, MS 30 mi south · 6% at surface

What Lafayette County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Porters Creek formation (clay or mud), Paleocene in age, covering about 1% of the county.

Against the rest of Mississippi

Lafayette County ranks 31 of 82 in Mississippi for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 56% of US counties on that measure.