SinkholeOdds

Sinkhole risk in Steele County, ND: 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
19%
At or near the surface
0%
Buried under cover
19%

What to do about a house in Steele County

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

That works out to roughly 137 of Steele County's 712 square miles on soluble rock. With about 1,767 residents (2 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 379 map points about 1.4 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: why the 19% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Steele County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Boyd County, NE, about 319 miles south. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

What Steele County is built on

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Niobrara and Carlile Formations, Undivided (limestone), Cretaceous in age, covering about 19% of the county.

Against the rest of North Dakota

Steele County ranks 47 of 53 in North Dakota for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 0% of US counties on that measure.