Sinkhole risk in Leavenworth County, KS: 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: 30%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 30%

What to do about a house in Leavenworth County

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

That works out to roughly 138 of Leavenworth County's 463 square miles on soluble rock. With about 84,670 residents (183 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 285 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 30% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Leavenworth County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Johnson County, KS, about 24 miles southeast, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Wyandotte County, KS 16 mi east · 7% at surface
Jefferson County, KS 18 mi west · 0% at surface
Platte County, MO 20 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Johnson County, KS 24 mi southeast · 67% at surface
Douglas County, KS 24 mi southwest · 23% at surface
Atchison County, KS 28 mi northwest · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Shawnee Group (limestone), Late Pennsylvanian- Virgilian in age, covering about 23% of the county. Next is the Lansing Group at 4%.

Against the rest of Kansas

Leavenworth County ranks 101 of 105 in Kansas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.