Sinkhole risk in Pottawatomie County, KS: 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: 52%
At or near the surface: 6%
Buried under cover: 46%

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 440 of Pottawatomie County's 841 square miles on soluble rock, 50 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 26,876 residents (32 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 304 map points about 1.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 46% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Pottawatomie County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Dickinson County, KS, about 57 miles southwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Riley County, KS 22 mi west · 73% at surface
Jackson County, KS 29 mi east · 0% at surface
Marshall County, KS 29 mi north · 2% at surface
Wabaunsee County, KS 30 mi south · 65% at surface
Nemaha County, KS 33 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Geary County, KS 35 mi southwest · 75% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Council Grove Group (limestone), Early Permian Gearyan in age, covering about 19% of the county. Next is the Chase Group at 17%.

Against the rest of Kansas

Pottawatomie County ranks 79 of 105 in Kansas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 64% of US counties on that measure.