Sinkhole risk in Talbot County, MD: 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: 5%
At or near the surface: 5%
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 13 of Talbot County's 269 square miles on soluble rock, 13 of them with the rock at or near the surface. With about 38,244 residents (142 per square mile), homes are spread across towns and farmland, and a mapped unit may or may not reach the developed parts. The figures come from 513 map points about 0.7 miles apart, so a pocket smaller than that can be missed or overstated.

Two things to read before deciding: how these percentages are measured, and the warning signs that apply anywhere.

Counties around Talbot County

The nearest county rated sinkhole country is Jefferson County, WV, about 98 miles northwest. 3 of the 6 closest counties land in the same band; the ground changes quickly around here.

Caroline County, MD 21 mi northeast · 10% at surface
Queen Anne's County, MD 21 mi north · 4% at surface
Dorchester County, MD 23 mi south · 0% at surface
Calvert County, MD 25 mi southwest · 47% at surface
Anne Arundel County, MD 27 mi northwest · 15% at surface
Kent County, MD 34 mi north · under 1% at surface

The rock underneath

The largest mapped soluble unit here is the Chesapeake Group; Calvert Formation (sand), Miocene in age, covering about 4% of the county. Next is the Chesapeake Group; Choptank Formation at under 1%.

Against the rest of Maryland

Talbot County ranks 12 of 24 in Maryland for soluble rock at the surface, and sits above 62% of US counties on that measure.