Sinkhole risk in Pendleton County, WV: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 19%
At or near the surface: 19%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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 129 of Pendleton County's 696 square miles on soluble rock, 129 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 5,944 residents (9 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 607 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Pendleton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Harrisonburg city, VA, about 30 miles southeast, 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.

Highland County, VA 24 mi southwest · 36% at surface
Rockingham County, VA 27 mi southeast · 45% at surface
Randolph County, WV 29 mi west · 17% at surface
Harrisonburg city, VA 30 mi southeast · 85% at surface
Grant County, WV 31 mi north · 11% at surface
Tucker County, WV 32 mi north · 8% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Tonoloway, Wills Creek, and Williamsport Formations (limestone), Silurian in age, covering about 8% of the county. Next is the Helderberg Group at 5%.

Against the rest of West Virginia

Pendleton County ranks 10 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 74% of US counties on that measure.