Sinkhole risk in Morgan County, WV: 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: 7%
At or near the surface: 7%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 16 of Morgan County's 229 square miles on soluble rock, 16 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 17,780 residents (78 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 477 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Morgan County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Washington County, MD, about 24 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Berkeley County, WV 14 mi southeast · 44% at surface
Washington County, MD 24 mi east · 61% at surface
Allegany County, MD 24 mi west · 24% at surface
Frederick County, VA 24 mi south · 30% at surface
Fulton County, PA 25 mi north · 19% at surface
Hampshire County, WV 25 mi southwest · 8% at surface

What Morgan County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Tonoloway, Wills Creek, and Williamsport Formations (limestone), Silurian in age, covering about 4% of the county. Next is the Oriskany Sandstone and Helderberg Group, undivided at 2%.

Against the rest of West Virginia

Morgan County ranks 19 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 65% of US counties on that measure.