Sinkhole risk in Nicholas County, KY: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 38%
At or near the surface: 38%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Nicholas County

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 74 of Nicholas County's 195 square miles on soluble rock, 74 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 7,816 residents (40 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 549 map points about 0.6 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 Nicholas County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Bourbon County, KY, about 14 miles southwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Robertson County, KY 12 mi north · 39% at surface
Bourbon County, KY 14 mi southwest · 89% at surface
Fleming County, KY 18 mi east · 58% at surface
Harrison County, KY 18 mi northwest · 44% at surface
Bath County, KY 20 mi southeast · 39% at surface
Mason County, KY 21 mi northeast · 76% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lexington Limestone (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 25% of the county. Next is the Ashlock Formation, Grant Lake and Calloway Creek Limestones, and Fairview Formation, undivided at 13%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Nicholas County ranks 58 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 83% of US counties on that measure.