Sinkhole risk in Stephens County, TX: 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: 13%
At or near the surface: 13%
Buried under cover: 0%

What to do about a house in Stephens County

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

That works out to roughly 113 of Stephens County's 897 square miles on soluble rock, 113 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 9,475 residents (11 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 396 map points about 1.5 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Stephens County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Haskell County, TX, about 60 miles northwest. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Eastland County, TX 29 mi south · 19% at surface
Shackelford County, TX 30 mi west · 54% at surface
Palo Pinto County, TX 30 mi east · 39% at surface
Young County, TX 31 mi north · 2% at surface
Throckmorton County, TX 37 mi northwest · 37% at surface
Callahan County, TX 44 mi southwest · 38% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Home Creek Limestone and Colony Creek Shale, undivided (shale), Pennsylvanian; Missouri Series in age, covering about 8% of the county. Next is the Ranger Limestone and Placid Creek Shale, undivided at 3%.

Against the rest of Texas

Stephens County ranks 110 of 254 in Texas for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 70% of US counties on that measure.