Sinkhole risk in Shawnee County, KS: 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: 17%
At or near the surface: 4%
Buried under cover: 13%

What to do about a house in Shawnee County

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

That works out to roughly 91 of Shawnee County's 544 square miles on soluble rock, 22 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 177,942 residents (327 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 324 map points about 1.3 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Shawnee County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Johnson County, KS, about 51 miles east. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Jefferson County, KS 25 mi northeast · 0% at surface
Wabaunsee County, KS 25 mi west · 65% at surface
Jackson County, KS 26 mi north · 0% at surface
Douglas County, KS 27 mi east · 23% at surface
Osage County, KS 27 mi south · 41% at surface
Pottawatomie County, KS 39 mi northwest · 6% at surface

What Shawnee County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Shawnee Group (limestone), Late Pennsylvanian- Virgilian in age, covering about 13% of the county. Next is the Admire Group at 4%.

Against the rest of Kansas

Shawnee County ranks 82 of 105 in Kansas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 61% of US counties on that measure.