Sinkhole risk in Lancaster County, SC: 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: 8%
At or near the surface: 8%
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 46 of Lancaster County's 549 square miles on soluble rock, 46 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 111,652 residents (203 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 467 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Lancaster County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Kershaw County, SC, about 25 miles south, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Lancaster County stands out from its surroundings.

Union County, NC 23 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Kershaw County, SC 25 mi south · 57% at surface
Chester County, SC 26 mi west · 0% at surface
Chesterfield County, SC 31 mi east · 63% at surface
Fairfield County, SC 31 mi southwest · 0% at surface
York County, SC 34 mi northwest · 0% at surface

What Lancaster County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Peedee Formation /Black Creek Group, undivided (clay or mud), Cretaceous in age, covering about 8% of the county.

Against the rest of South Carolina

Lancaster County ranks 27 of 46 in South Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 66% of US counties on that measure.