Sinkhole risk in McDowell County, NC: 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: 4%
At or near the surface: 4%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 17 of McDowell County's 440 square miles on soluble rock, 17 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 45,269 residents (103 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 559 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around McDowell County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Washington County, TN, about 49 miles northwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Burke County, NC 20 mi east · 1% at surface
Yancey County, NC 20 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Rutherford County, NC 21 mi south · 0% at surface
Mitchell County, NC 24 mi north · 0% at surface
Buncombe County, NC 28 mi west · 3% at surface
Avery County, NC 28 mi north · 3% at surface

What McDowell County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Rocks of Brevard Fault Zone (schist), Uncertain, possibly Permian or Devonian in age, covering about 3% of the county. Next is the Shady Dolomite at under 1%.

Against the rest of North Carolina

McDowell County ranks 50 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 61% of US counties on that measure.