Sinkhole risk in Lewis County, TN: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 24%
At or near the surface: 24%
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 67 of Lewis County's 282 square miles on soluble rock, 67 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 13,418 residents (48 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 247 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Lewis County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Maury County, TN, about 24 miles east, 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.

Hickman County, TN 19 mi north · 37% at surface
Lawrence County, TN 22 mi south · 21% at surface
Perry County, TN 23 mi northwest · 31% at surface
Maury County, TN 24 mi east · 84% at surface
Wayne County, TN 27 mi southwest · 15% at surface
Giles County, TN 34 mi southeast · 62% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the St. Louis Limestone and Warsaw Limestone (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 19% of the county. Next is the Ordovician [units] including Richmond Group (which includes Mannie Shale, Fernvale Limestone, Sequatchie Formation, and Arnheim Formation), the Maysville Group (which includes Leipers Formation), the Eden Group (which includes Inman Formation), and at 2%.

Against the rest of Tennessee

Lewis County ranks 64 of 95 in Tennessee for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 77% of US counties on that measure.