Sinkhole risk in Ray County, MO: 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: 37%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 37%

What to do about a house in Ray County

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

That works out to roughly 210 of Ray County's 569 square miles on soluble rock. With about 23,199 residents (41 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 355 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Ray County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jackson County, MO, about 28 miles southwest, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Lafayette County, MO 20 mi southeast · 32% at surface
Clay County, MO 23 mi west · 0% at surface
Caldwell County, MO 24 mi north · 0% at surface
Carroll County, MO 28 mi east · 0% at surface
Jackson County, MO 28 mi southwest · 71% at surface
Clinton County, MO 30 mi northwest · 0% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Kansas City Group (limestone), Late Pennsylvanian-Upper Series-Missourian Stage in age, covering about 37% of the county.

Against the rest of Missouri

Ray County ranks 110 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.