SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Monroe County, NY: 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
46%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
46%

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 302 of Monroe County's 657 square miles on soluble rock. With about 752,202 residents (1,145 per square mile), most of the county is built up, so a mapped unit is likely to sit under somebody's street. The figures come from 289 map points about 1.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why gypsum and salt move faster than limestone, and why the 46% under cover still counts.

Counties around Monroe County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 162 miles south. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Camillus, Syracuse, and Vernon Formations (shale), Upper Silurian in age, covering about 18% of the county. Next is the Vernon Formation at 12%.

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 New York

Monroe County ranks 31 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.