Sinkhole risk in Scott 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: 43%
At or near the surface: 0%
Buried under cover: 43%

What to do about a house in Scott County

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

That works out to roughly 152 of Scott County's 356 square miles on soluble rock. With about 157,206 residents (441 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 256 map points about 1.2 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Scott County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Vernon County, WI, about 153 miles southeast. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Carver County, MN 18 mi northwest · 0% at surface
Le Sueur County, MN 22 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Dakota County, MN 23 mi east · 0% at surface
Rice County, MN 24 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Hennepin County, MN 25 mi north · 0% at surface
Ramsey County, MN 33 mi northeast · 0% 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 41% of the county. Next is the Middle Ordovician rocks, undivided at 1%.

Against the rest of Minnesota

Scott County ranks 72 of 87 in Minnesota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.