Sinkhole risk in Lincoln County, CO: 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%
What to do about a house in Lincoln County
Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.
Across 2,578 square miles, under one square mile of Lincoln County maps onto soluble rock. With about 5,598 residents (2 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 301 map points about 2.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and how ground with no limestone still opens up.
Counties around Lincoln County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Harlan County, NE, about 233 miles east. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.
- Elbert County, CO 39 mi northwest · 0% at surface
- Crowley County, CO 50 mi south · 4% at surface
- Cheyenne County, CO 50 mi east · 0% at surface
- Kit Carson County, CO 53 mi northeast · 0% at surface
- El Paso County, CO 56 mi west · 2% at surface
- Kiowa County, CO 58 mi southeast · 30% at surface
Against the rest of Colorado
Lincoln County ranks 55 of 64 in Colorado for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- Pueblo County 45%
- Bent County 44%
- Otero County 42%
- Prowers County 35%
- Kiowa County 30%