SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Nicollet County, MN: 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
2%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
2%

The next step for one property

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

That works out to roughly 11 of Nicollet County's 449 square miles on soluble rock. With about 34,493 residents (77 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 548 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Nicollet County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Vernon County, WI, about 178 miles east. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lower Ordovician rocks, undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 2% of the county.

Against the rest of Minnesota

Nicollet County ranks 56 of 87 in Minnesota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.