SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Macon 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
2%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
2%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 18 of Macon County's 801 square miles on soluble rock. With about 15,177 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 357 map points about 1.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Macon County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Cooper County, MO, about 69 miles south. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Osagean Series (limestone), Early Mississippian-Osagean Series in age, covering about 1% of the county. Next is the Marmaton Group at under 1%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Macon County ranks 99 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.