Sinkhole risk in Randolph County, WV: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

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

On soluble rock: 17%
At or near the surface: 17%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Randolph 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 177 of Randolph County's 1,040 square miles on soluble rock, 177 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 27,190 residents (26 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 423 map points about 1.6 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Randolph County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Harrisonburg city, VA, about 59 miles southeast. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Upshur County, WV 21 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Barbour County, WV 26 mi north · 0% at surface
Tucker County, WV 28 mi northeast · 8% at surface
Pendleton County, WV 29 mi east · 19% at surface
Pocahontas County, WV 32 mi south · 30% at surface
Highland County, VA 33 mi southeast · 36% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Bluefield Formation (shale), Mississippian in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Hinton Formation at 7%.

The county also lies over the Michigan Basin; Ohio Basin; Appalachian Basin, a deep salt or gypsum basin. Deep beds rarely cause surface collapse on their own, but wells and mining into them have.

Against the rest of West Virginia

Randolph County ranks 11 of 55 in West Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 73% of US counties on that measure.