Sinkhole risk in Ross County, OH: 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: 11%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 11%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 76 of Ross County's 689 square miles on soluble rock. With about 76,046 residents (110 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 333 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 11% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Ross County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Mason County, KY, about 65 miles southwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Pike County, OH 17 mi south · under 1% at surface
Pickaway County, OH 22 mi north · 0% at surface
Fayette County, OH 27 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Highland County, OH 31 mi west · 3% at surface
Vinton County, OH 31 mi east · 0% at surface
Jackson County, OH 32 mi southeast · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Peebles Dolomite, Lilley and Bisher Formations, Undivided (dolostone (dolomite)), Silurian in age, covering about 7% of the county. Next is the Salina Group at 4%.

Against the rest of Ohio

Ross County ranks 71 of 88 in Ohio for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.