Sinkhole risk in Outagamie County, WI: 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: 59%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 59%

What to do about a house in Outagamie County

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

That works out to roughly 378 of Outagamie County's 638 square miles on soluble rock. With about 195,390 residents (306 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 400 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 59% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Outagamie County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Oceana County, MI, about 114 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Brown County, WI 23 mi east · under 1% at surface
Winnebago County, WI 25 mi southwest · under 1% at surface
Waupaca County, WI 25 mi west · 0% at surface
Calumet County, WI 27 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Shawano County, WI 29 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Menominee County, WI 41 mi north · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Sinnipee Group (dolostone (dolomite)), Ordovician in age, covering about 37% of the county. Next is the Prairie du Chien Group at 17%.

Against the rest of Wisconsin

Outagamie County ranks 53 of 72 in Wisconsin for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.