Sinkhole risk in Surry 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: 7%
At or near the surface: 7%
Buried under cover: 0%

What this means before you buy

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

That works out to roughly 18 of Surry County's 279 square miles on soluble rock, 18 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 6,579 residents (24 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 515 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Counties around Surry County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Hertford County, NC, about 53 miles south. 5 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band, so this is a regional pattern rather than a local quirk.

Williamsburg city, VA 14 mi northeast · 4% at surface
James City County, VA 15 mi north · 10% at surface
Isle of Wight County, VA 18 mi southeast · 5% at surface
Charles City County, VA 19 mi northwest · 5% at surface
Prince George County, VA 19 mi west · 13% at surface
Newport News city, VA 20 mi east · 0% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group (sand), Tertiary in age, covering about 7% of the county.

Against the rest of Virginia

Surry County ranks 63 of 133 in Virginia for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 65% of US counties on that measure.