Sinkhole risk in Lyon County, KS: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 39%
At or near the surface: 39%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Lyon County

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 333 of Lyon County's 847 square miles on soluble rock, 333 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 32,520 residents (38 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 405 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Lyon County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Coffey County, KS, about 28 miles southeast, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Chase County, KS 26 mi southwest · 87% at surface
Coffey County, KS 28 mi southeast · 53% at surface
Osage County, KS 28 mi northeast · 41% at surface
Morris County, KS 31 mi northwest · 91% at surface
Wabaunsee County, KS 35 mi north · 65% at surface
Greenwood County, KS 40 mi south · 55% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Admire Group (shale), Late Pennsylvanian in age, covering about 27% of the county. Next is the Council Grove Group at 9%.

Against the rest of Kansas

Lyon County ranks 35 of 105 in Kansas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 84% of US counties on that measure.