Sinkhole risk in Lea County, NM: Not karst, but voids possible

Not karst, but voids possible

No soluble bedrock; some pseudokarst (piping or lava-tube ground).

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

The next step for one property

Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.

Across 4,392 square miles, under one square mile of Lea County maps onto soluble rock. With about 75,151 residents (17 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 372 map points about 3.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and how ground with no limestone still opens up.

Counties around Lea County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Eddy County, NM, about 57 miles southwest. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Yoakum County, TX 42 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Gaines County, TX 46 mi east · 0% at surface
Andrews County, TX 56 mi southeast · under 1% at surface
Eddy County, NM 57 mi southwest · 41% at surface
Cochran County, TX 65 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Loving County, TX 66 mi south · 38% at surface

Against the rest of New Mexico

Lea County ranks 31 of 33 in New Mexico for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.