Sinkhole risk in Switzerland County, IN: 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: 24%
At or near the surface: 13%
Buried under cover: 11%

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 53 of Switzerland County's 221 square miles on soluble rock, 30 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 9,988 residents (45 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 247 map points about 0.9 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Worth reading for this county: why the 11% under cover still counts, and how these percentages are measured.

Counties around Switzerland County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Kenton County, KY, about 28 miles east, close enough that the same rock may run under the county line. 2 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Ohio County, IN 9 mi northeast · 12% at surface
Gallatin County, KY 10 mi southeast · 22% at surface
Carroll County, KY 12 mi southwest · 19% at surface
Boone County, KY 18 mi northeast · 16% at surface
Dearborn County, IN 22 mi north · 10% at surface
Jefferson County, IN 22 mi west · 16% at surface

Which formation it is

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Kope Formation (shale), Ordovician in age, covering about 15% of the county. Next is the Lexington Limestone at 6%.

Against the rest of Indiana

Switzerland County ranks 13 of 92 in Indiana for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 70% of US counties on that measure.