Sinkhole risk in New Kent County, VA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 22%
At or near the surface: 22%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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 46 of New Kent County's 210 square miles on soluble rock, 46 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 27,218 residents (130 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 471 map points about 0.7 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 New Kent County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 79 miles south. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Charles City County, VA 11 mi south · 5% at surface
King William County, VA 15 mi north · 37% at surface
King and Queen County, VA 15 mi north · 37% at surface
Henrico County, VA 17 mi west · 7% at surface
James City County, VA 18 mi southeast · 10% at surface
Hopewell city, VA 22 mi southwest · 14% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 22% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

New Kent County ranks 44 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 75% of US counties on that measure.