Sinkhole risk in Monroe County, KY: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 48%
At or near the surface: 48%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Monroe 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 157 of Monroe County's 329 square miles on soluble rock, 157 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 11,163 residents (34 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 290 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Monroe County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Metcalfe County, KY, about 20 miles north, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Clay County, TN 15 mi southeast · 39% at surface
Cumberland County, KY 19 mi east · 36% at surface
Metcalfe County, KY 20 mi north · 57% at surface
Macon County, TN 20 mi southwest · 24% at surface
Barren County, KY 21 mi northwest · 67% at surface
Jackson County, TN 25 mi south · 58% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Salem, Warsaw, and Harrodsburg Limestones, undivided (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 28% of the county. Next is the Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis Limestones, undivided at 15%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Monroe County ranks 43 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 87% of US counties on that measure.