Sinkhole risk in Murray County, GA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 30%
At or near the surface: 30%
Buried under cover: 0%

The next step for one property

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 105 of Murray County's 344 square miles on soluble rock, 105 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 41,316 residents (120 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 605 map points about 0.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: the signs to look for and how an inspection works, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Murray County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Whitfield County, GA, about 13 miles west, 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.

Whitfield County, GA 13 mi west · 74% at surface
Gilmer County, GA 18 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Gordon County, GA 21 mi south · 61% at surface
Catoosa County, GA 24 mi west · 63% at surface
Polk County, TN 24 mi northeast · 20% at surface
Fannin County, GA 24 mi east · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Knox Group undifferentiated (dolostone (dolomite)), Ordovician-Cambrian in age, covering about 12% of the county. Next is the Conasauga Group; Upper unit; limestone and shale unit at 11%.

Against the rest of Georgia

Murray County ranks 30 of 159 in Georgia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 79% of US counties on that measure.