Sinkhole risk in Rockingham County, NC: 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: 9%
At or near the surface: 9%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Rockingham County

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

That works out to roughly 49 of Rockingham County's 566 square miles on soluble rock, 49 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 93,517 residents (165 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 379 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Rockingham County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Roanoke city, VA, about 63 miles north. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Henry County, VA 20 mi northwest · under 1% at surface
Guilford County, NC 21 mi south · 0% at surface
Martinsville city, VA 21 mi north · 0% at surface
Caswell County, NC 25 mi east · 0% at surface
Danville city, VA 25 mi northeast · 1% at surface
Stokes County, NC 27 mi west · 41% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Metagraywacke and Muscovite-Biotite Schist (metasedimentary rock), Cambrian/Late Proterozoic in age, covering about 9% of the county.

Against the rest of North Carolina

Rockingham County ranks 41 of 100 in North Carolina for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 67% of US counties on that measure.