Sinkhole risk in Pike County, OH: 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: 1%
At or near the surface: under 1%
Buried under cover: under 1%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 5 of Pike County's 440 square miles on soluble rock, 4 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 27,065 residents (61 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 328 map points about 1.2 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 Pike County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Mason County, KY, about 53 miles southwest. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Ross County, OH 17 mi north · 0% at surface
Scioto County, OH 18 mi south · 0% at surface
Jackson County, OH 24 mi east · 0% at surface
Adams County, OH 28 mi southwest · 35% at surface
Highland County, OH 30 mi west · 3% at surface
Vinton County, OH 33 mi northeast · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Peebles Dolomite, Lilley and Bisher Formations, Undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Silurian in age, covering about 1% of the county.

Against the rest of Ohio

Pike County ranks 10 of 88 in Ohio for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 55% of US counties on that measure.