Sinkhole risk in San Benito County, CA: Not karst, but voids possible

Not karst, but voids possible

No soluble bedrock; some pseudokarst (piping or lava-tube ground).

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

What this means before you buy

Not true karst, but soil piping or lava tubes can still open voids - mention it to an inspector.

Across 1,389 square miles, under one square mile of San Benito County maps onto soluble rock. With about 69,159 residents (50 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 450 map points about 1.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how ground with no limestone still opens up, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around San Benito County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Emery County, UT, about 589 miles east. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so San Benito County stands out from its surroundings.

Monterey County, CA 29 mi southwest · under 1% at surface
Merced County, CA 45 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Santa Clara County, CA 54 mi northwest · 4% at surface
Santa Cruz County, CA 58 mi northwest · 3% at surface
Stanislaus County, CA 66 mi north · 0% at surface
Kings County, CA 80 mi southeast · 0% at surface

Against the rest of California

San Benito County ranks 48 of 58 in California for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.