Sinkhole risk in Linn County, MO: 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: 13%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 13%

What to do about a house in Linn County

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

That works out to roughly 80 of Linn County's 616 square miles on soluble rock. With about 11,910 residents (19 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 393 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 13% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Linn County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Cooper County, MO, about 72 miles south. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Sullivan County, MO 24 mi north · 0% at surface
Livingston County, MO 24 mi west · 0% at surface
Chariton County, MO 25 mi south · 0% at surface
Macon County, MO 29 mi east · 0% at surface
Grundy County, MO 30 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Adair County, MO 35 mi northeast · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Marmaton Group (limestone), Middle Pennsylvanian-Middle Series-Desmonian Stage in age, covering about 13% of the county.

Against the rest of Missouri

Linn County ranks 97 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.