Sinkhole risk in Platte County, MO: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 65%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 65%

What to do about a house in Platte County

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 274 of Platte County's 420 square miles on soluble rock. With about 113,207 residents (270 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 244 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Platte County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jackson County, MO, about 34 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.

Wyandotte County, KS 18 mi south · 7% at surface
Clay County, MO 19 mi east · 0% at surface
Buchanan County, MO 20 mi north · 0% at surface
Leavenworth County, KS 20 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Clinton County, MO 25 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Atchison County, KS 31 mi west · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lansing Group (shale), Late Pennsylvanian-Upper Series-Missourian Stage in age, covering about 48% of the county. Next is the Kansas City Group at 12%.

Against the rest of Missouri

Platte County ranks 107 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.