Sinkhole risk in Prince George County, VA: 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: 13%
At or near the surface: 13%
Buried under cover: 0%

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 36 of Prince George County's 265 square miles on soluble rock, 36 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 43,589 residents (164 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 536 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Prince George County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 58 miles south. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Hopewell city, VA 8 mi northwest · 14% at surface
Petersburg city, VA 10 mi west · 17% at surface
Colonial Heights city, VA 11 mi northwest · 12% at surface
Charles City County, VA 15 mi northeast · 5% at surface
Henrico County, VA 18 mi north · 7% at surface
Sussex County, VA 18 mi south · 14% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 11% of the county. Next is the Lower Tertiary Deposits at 2%.

Against the rest of Virginia

Prince George County ranks 52 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 70% of US counties on that measure.