Sinkhole risk in Stoddard County, MO: 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: 3%
Buried under cover: under 1%

The next step for one property

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

That works out to roughly 24 of Stoddard County's 823 square miles on soluble rock, 21 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 28,438 residents (35 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 308 map points about 1.6 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 Stoddard County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Bollinger County, MO, about 33 miles north, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 1 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

New Madrid County, MO 24 mi southeast · 0% at surface
Scott County, MO 25 mi northeast · 8% at surface
Butler County, MO 27 mi west · 44% at surface
Bollinger County, MO 33 mi north · 91% at surface
Wayne County, MO 33 mi northwest · 95% at surface
Mississippi County, MO 36 mi east · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Smithville Dolomite, Powell Dolomite, Cotter Dolomite, Jefferson City Dolomite (dolostone (dolomite)), Early Ordovician-Ibexian Series in age, covering about 3% of the county.

Against the rest of Missouri

Stoddard County ranks 75 of 115 in Missouri for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 59% of US counties on that measure.