Sinkhole risk in Marion County, WV: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 15%
At or near the surface: 15%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Marion 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 46 of Marion County's 309 square miles on soluble rock, 46 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 55,649 residents (180 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 253 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Marion County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Harrisonburg city, VA, about 104 miles southeast. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Marion County stands out from its surroundings.

Monongalia County, WV 13 mi northeast · 12% at surface
Taylor County, WV 16 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Harrison County, WV 17 mi southwest · 7% at surface
Wetzel County, WV 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Greene County, PA 24 mi north · 8% at surface
Barbour County, WV 29 mi southeast · 0% at surface

What Marion County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Monongahela Group (sandstone), Pennsylvanian in age, covering about 15% of the county.

The county also lies over the Michigan Basin; Ohio Basin; Appalachian Basin, a deep salt or gypsum basin. Deep beds rarely cause surface collapse on their own, but wells and mining into them have.

Against the rest of West Virginia

Marion County ranks 12 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 71% of US counties on that measure.