Sinkhole risk in Oklahoma County, OK: 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: 11%
At or near the surface: 11%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Oklahoma County

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

That works out to roughly 77 of Oklahoma County's 709 square miles on soluble rock, 77 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 816,490 residents (1,152 per square mile), most of the county is built up, so a mapped unit is likely to sit under somebody's street. The figures come from 400 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Oklahoma County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Canadian County, OK, about 32 miles west, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Cleveland County, OK 25 mi south · 3% at surface
Logan County, OK 25 mi north · 0% at surface
Lincoln County, OK 31 mi east · 28% at surface
Canadian County, OK 32 mi west · 40% at surface
Pottawatomie County, OK 35 mi southeast · 10% at surface
McClain County, OK 37 mi south · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Salt Plains Formation (shale), Early Permian in age, covering about 11% of the county.

11% of the county sits on gypsum or salt, which dissolves in years rather than millennia. That share matters more than its size suggests.

Against the rest of Oklahoma

Oklahoma County ranks 44 of 77 in Oklahoma for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 68% of US counties on that measure.