Sinkhole risk in McKenzie County, ND: Not karst, but voids possible
Not karst, but voids possible
No soluble bedrock; some pseudokarst (piping or lava-tube ground).
- On soluble rock
- 0%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 0%
What to do about a house in McKenzie County
Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.
Across 2,760 square miles, under one square mile of McKenzie County maps onto soluble rock. With about 14,782 residents (5 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 292 map points about 3.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Two things to read before deciding: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and how ground with no limestone still opens up.
Counties around McKenzie County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Fall River County, SD, about 312 miles south. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.
- Williams County, ND 43 mi north · 0% at surface
- Dunn County, ND 46 mi southeast · under 1% at surface
- Billings County, ND 51 mi south · 0% at surface
- Richland County, MT 54 mi west · 0% at surface
- Mountrail County, ND 58 mi northeast · 0% at surface
- Golden Valley County, ND 59 mi south · 0% at surface
Against the rest of North Dakota
McKenzie County ranks 30 of 53 in North Dakota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- Cavalier County 2%
- Ransom County under 1%
- Dunn County under 1%
- Barnes County under 1%
- Slope County under 1%