Sinkhole risk in Southampton County, VA: Pockets of it

Pockets of it

Soluble rock at the surface or under thin cover in part of the county.

On soluble rock: 21%
At or near the surface: 21%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

Check the parcel against your state survey sinkhole map, and ask for an inspection if cracks, depressions or sticking doors show up.

That works out to roughly 126 of Southampton County's 599 square miles on soluble rock, 126 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 17,941 residents (30 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 514 map points about 1.1 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Southampton County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 26 miles south, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. None of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so Southampton County stands out from its surroundings.

Franklin city, VA 9 mi east · 0% at surface
Sussex County, VA 17 mi northwest · 14% at surface
Emporia city, VA 24 mi west · 0% at surface
Isle of Wight County, VA 25 mi northeast · 5% at surface
Greensville County, VA 25 mi west · 2% at surface
Hertford County, NC 26 mi south · 75% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 21% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

Southampton County ranks 45 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 75% of US counties on that measure.