Sinkhole risk in Powell 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: 10%
At or near the surface: 10%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 17 of Powell County's 179 square miles on soluble rock, 17 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 12,928 residents (72 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 570 map points about 0.6 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 Powell County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Clark County, KY, about 20 miles northwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Estill County, KY 11 mi southwest · 17% at surface
Lee County, KY 15 mi southeast · 6% at surface
Menifee County, KY 16 mi northeast · 1% at surface
Montgomery County, KY 16 mi north · 40% at surface
Wolfe County, KY 19 mi east · 0% at surface
Clark County, KY 20 mi northwest · 64% at surface

What Powell County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Pennington Formation and Newman Limestone (limestone), Mississippian in age, covering about 5% of the county. Next is the Crab Orchard Formation and Brassfield Dolomite, undivided at 2%.

Against the rest of Kentucky

Powell County ranks 74 of 120 in Kentucky for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 68% of US counties on that measure.