Sinkhole risk in Newton County, IN: 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: 64%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 64%

What to do about a house in Newton County

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

That works out to roughly 257 of Newton County's 402 square miles on soluble rock. With about 14,131 residents (35 per square mile), much of the land is open, and the mapped rock may sit far from where people actually live. The figures come from 357 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Newton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Monroe County, IN, about 133 miles south. 4 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Jasper County, IN 15 mi east · 0% at surface
Benton County, IN 25 mi south · 0% at surface
Kankakee County, IL 27 mi northwest · 6% at surface
Iroquois County, IL 27 mi southwest · 0% at surface
White County, IN 32 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Lake County, IN 35 mi north · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Muscatatuck Group (limestone), Devonian in age, covering about 33% of the county. Next is the Wabash Formation at 31%.

Against the rest of Indiana

Newton County ranks 69 of 92 in Indiana for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.