SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Montgomery 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
23%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
23%

What to do about a house in Montgomery County

Sinkholes are uncommon here; watch for new depressions after heavy rain or leaking pipes.

That works out to roughly 91 of Montgomery County's 403 square miles on soluble rock. With about 49,648 residents (123 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 258 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 23% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Montgomery County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 190 miles southwest. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Beekmantown Group (dolostone (dolomite)), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 11% of the county. Next is the Beekmantown Group at 6%.

Against the rest of New York

Montgomery County ranks 32 of 62 in New York for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.