Sinkhole risk in Somerset County, ME: 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
- 3%
- At or near the surface
- 0%
- Buried under cover
- 3%
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 122 of Somerset County's 3,924 square miles on soluble rock. With about 51,338 residents (13 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 486 map points about 2.8 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.
Read next: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.
Counties around Somerset County
The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Union County, PA, about 475 miles southwest. 6 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.
- Franklin County, ME 43 mi southwest · 0% at surface
- Piscataquis County, ME 50 mi northeast · under 1% at surface
- Penobscot County, ME 63 mi east · 0% at surface
- Kennebec County, ME 76 mi south · 0% at surface
- Oxford County, ME 79 mi southwest · 0% at surface
- Waldo County, ME 82 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Which formation it is
The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Silurian Sangerville Formation Patch Mountain member (marble), Silurian in age, covering about 2% of the county. Next is the Silurian The Forks Formation at under 1%.
Against the rest of Maine
Somerset County ranks 13 of 16 in Maine for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.
- Lincoln County 1%
- Knox County under 1%
- Piscataquis County under 1%
- Androscoggin County 0%
- Aroostook County 0%