Sinkhole risk in Raleigh County, WV: 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: 2%
At or near the surface: 2%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Raleigh County

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

That works out to roughly 13 of Raleigh County's 605 square miles on soluble rock, 13 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 72,379 residents (120 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 489 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Raleigh County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Summers County, WV, about 24 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Raleigh County stands out from its surroundings.

Wyoming County, WV 19 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Fayette County, WV 21 mi northeast · under 1% at surface
Summers County, WV 24 mi east · 73% at surface
Mercer County, WV 26 mi south · 39% at surface
Boone County, WV 30 mi northwest · 0% at surface
McDowell County, WV 34 mi southwest · 0% at surface

What Raleigh County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Hinton Formation (shale), Mississippian in age, covering about 2% of the county. Next is the Bluefield Formation at under 1%.

Against the rest of West Virginia

Raleigh County ranks 24 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 58% of US counties on that measure.