Sinkhole risk in Lee County, NC: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 26%
At or near the surface: 26%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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 65 of Lee County's 255 square miles on soluble rock, 65 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 68,537 residents (269 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 559 map points about 0.7 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 Lee County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Harnett County, NC, about 18 miles southeast, 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.

Chatham County, NC 16 mi north · 0% at surface
Harnett County, NC 18 mi southeast · 60% at surface
Moore County, NC 21 mi southwest · 36% at surface
Hoke County, NC 32 mi south · 83% at surface
Cumberland County, NC 35 mi southeast · 23% at surface
Wake County, NC 36 mi northeast · 8% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Middendorf Formation (sand), Cretaceous in age, covering about 26% of the county.

Against the rest of North Carolina

Lee County ranks 30 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 78% of US counties on that measure.