Sinkhole risk in McDowell County, WV: No soluble rock mapped

No soluble rock mapped

No soluble bedrock mapped.

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

What this means before you buy

No soluble bedrock is mapped here, so natural sinkholes are unlikely. Collapses from broken pipes or old mines are a separate risk.

Across 533 square miles, under one square mile of McDowell County maps onto soluble rock. With about 17,147 residents (32 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 252 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 McDowell County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Smyth County, VA, about 38 miles south, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Wyoming County, WV 16 mi north · 0% at surface
Tazewell County, VA 19 mi south · 43% at surface
Buchanan County, VA 22 mi west · 0% at surface
Mercer County, WV 30 mi east · 39% at surface
Raleigh County, WV 34 mi northeast · 2% at surface
Bland County, VA 34 mi southeast · 31% at surface

Against the rest of West Virginia

McDowell County ranks 40 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.