Sinkhole risk in Spotsylvania County, VA: 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: 5%
At or near the surface: 5%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Spotsylvania County

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

That works out to roughly 19 of Spotsylvania County's 402 square miles on soluble rock, 19 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 152,021 residents (378 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 493 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Spotsylvania County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Clarke County, VA, about 67 miles north. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Fredericksburg city, VA 12 mi northeast · 10% at surface
Caroline County, VA 20 mi southeast · 48% at surface
Orange County, VA 20 mi west · 4% at surface
Stafford County, VA 20 mi northeast · 23% at surface
Louisa County, VA 22 mi southwest · 0% at surface
Culpeper County, VA 27 mi northwest · under 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 3% of the county. Next is the Lower Tertiary Deposits at 2%.

Against the rest of Virginia

Spotsylvania County ranks 66 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 62% of US counties on that measure.