Sinkhole risk in Rice County, MN: 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
- 89%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 89%
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 439 of Rice County's 496 square miles on soluble rock. With about 69,025 residents (139 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 360 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: why the 89% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.
Counties around Rice County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Vernon County, WI, about 134 miles east. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.
- Le Sueur County, MN 21 mi west · 0% at surface
- Steele County, MN 23 mi south · 0% at surface
- Scott County, MN 24 mi northwest · 0% at surface
- Dakota County, MN 25 mi northeast · 0% at surface
- Waseca County, MN 27 mi southwest · 0% at surface
- Goodhue County, MN 29 mi east · 22% at surface
Which formation it is
The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Lower Ordovician rocks, undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Lower Ordovician in age, covering about 46% of the county. Next is the Decorah Shale (Middle Ordovician) at 22%.
Against the rest of Minnesota
Rice County ranks 68 of 87 in Minnesota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- Houston County 28%
- Winona County 27%
- Fillmore County 26%
- Goodhue County 22%
- Wabasha County 21%