Sinkhole risk in Pendleton County, KY: 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: 9%
At or near the surface: 9%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 26 of Pendleton County's 277 square miles on soluble rock, 26 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 14,844 residents (54 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 270 map points about 1.0 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Pendleton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Kenton County, KY, about 19 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Pendleton County stands out from its surroundings.

Bracken County, KY 13 mi east · 33% at surface
Grant County, KY 15 mi west · 23% at surface
Campbell County, KY 17 mi north · 26% at surface
Harrison County, KY 17 mi south · 44% at surface
Kenton County, KY 19 mi northwest · 59% at surface
Robertson County, KY 20 mi southeast · 39% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Ashlock Formation, Grant Lake and Calloway Creek Limestones, and Fairview Formation, undivided (limestone), Ordovician in age, covering about 8% of the county. Next is the Lexington Limestone at 2%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Pendleton County ranks 75 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 67% of US counties on that measure.